Impact of vehicle usage on consumer choice of hybrid electric vehicles

We analyze the vehicle usage and consumer profile attributes extracted from both National Household Travel Survey and Vehicle Quality Survey data to understand the impact of vehicle usage upon consumers choices of hybrid electric vehicles in the US. In addition, the key characteristics of hybrid vehicle drivers are identified to determine the market segmentations of hybrid electric vehicles and the critical attributes to include in the choice model. After a compatibility test of two datasets, a pooled choice model combining both data sources illustrates the significant influences of vehicle usage upon consumers' choices of hybrid electric vehicles. Even though the data-bases have in the past been used independently to study travel behavior and vehicle quality ratings, here we use them together. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.