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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Marco Diana; Andrea Chicco |
| Abstract: | The spread of the coronavirus pandemic had negative repercussions on the majority of transport systems in virtually all countries. After the lockdown period, travel restriction policies are now frequently adapted almost real-time according to observed trends in the spread of the disease, resulting in a rapidly changing transport market situation. Shared micromobility operators, whose revenues entirely come from their customers, need to understand how the demand is affected to adapt their operations. Within this framework, the present paper investigates how different COVID-19 restriction levels have affected the usage patterns of shared micromobility. Usage data of two dockless micromobility services (bike and e-scooters) operating in Turin (Italy) are analyzed between October 2020 and March 2021, a period characterized by different travel restriction levels. The average number of daily trips, trip distances and trip duration are retrieved for both services, and then compared to identify significant differences in trends as restriction levels change. Additionally, related impacts on the spatial dimension of the services are studied through hotspot maps. Results show that both services decreased during restrictions, however e-scooters experienced a larger variability in their demand and they had a quicker recovery when travel restrictions were loosened. Shared bikes, in general, suffered less from travel restriction levels, suggesting their larger usage for work and study-related trip purposes, which is confirmed also by the analysis of hotspots. E-scooters are both substituting and complementing public transport according to restriction levels, while usage patterns of shared bikes are more independent. |
| Date: | 2023–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2309.16440&r=tre |
| By: | Lucas Woodley; Chung Yi See; Peter Cook; Megan Yeo; Daniel S. Palmer; Laurena Huh; Seaver Wang; Ashley Nunes |
| Abstract: | Recently proposed tailpipe emissions standards aim to significant increases in electric vehicle (EV) sales in the United States. Our work examines whether this increase is achievable given potential constraints in EV mineral supply chains. We estimate a model that reflects international sourcing rules, heterogeneity in the mineral intensity of predominant battery chemistries, and long-run grid decarbonization efforts. Our efforts yield five key findings. First, compliance with the proposed standard necessitates replacing at least 10.21 million new ICEVs with EVs between 2027 and 2032. Second, based on economically viable and geologically available mineral reserves, manufacturing sufficient EVs is plausible across most battery chemistries and could, subject to the chemistry leveraged, reduce up to 457.3 million total tons of CO2e. Third, mineral production capacities of the US and its allies constrain battery production to a total of 5.09 million EV batteries between 2027 and 2032, well short of deployment requirements to meet EPA standards even if battery manufacturing is optimized to exclusively manufacture materials efficient NMC 811 batteries. Fourth, disequilibrium between mineral supply and demand results in at least 59.54 million tons of CO2e in total lost lifecycle emissions benefits. Fifth, limited present-day production of battery-grade graphite and to a lesser extent, cobalt, constrain US electric vehicle battery pack manufacturing under strict sourcing rules. We demonstrate that should mineral supply bottlenecks persist, hybrid electric vehicles may offer equivalent lifecycle emissions benefits as EVs while relaxing mineral production demands, though this represents a tradeoff of long-term momentum in electric vehicle deployment in favor of near-term carbon dioxide emissions reductions. |
| Date: | 2023–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2309.15368&r=tre |
| By: | Darling, Wesley; Broader, Jacquelyn; Cohen, Adam; Shaheen, Susan PhD |
| Abstract: | Despite lower user costs, only 20% to 40% of transportation network company (TNC) users select a pooled, or shared, ride option. Why are existing TNC users not selecting the pooled option or using TNCs to connect to public transit, and what role do built environment features and incentives play in their decision? This study explores the factors that influence TNC user decisions through a multi-method approach comprising photovoice small group discussions and a workshop. Between March 2021 and May 2021, 15 San Francisco Bay Area TNC users shared photographs they took of TNC pick-up locations through two-to-three-person guided small group discussions. The photos revealed that users prefer waiting in retail or in well-lit, good-visibility locations. Participants’ primary concern was personal safety, particularly female users who may take additional precautions when walking to pick-up locations and waiting for and taking rides. In July 2021, 12 photovoice participants and 5 stakeholders provided feedback on key findings from the photography discussions. The pooling improvement strategies identified include the following: designated TNC stops with lighting and marked pick-up areas; enhanced in-app safety features; TNC partnerships with employers and retailers to incentivize riders; and mode transfer discounts for connecting TNCs to public transit. The findings suggest that safety related to the built environment plays an outsized role in a TNC user’s decision to pool or connect to public transit, and the out-of-vehicle portion of the TNC trip should be equally considered when developing policies to increase pooling. |
| Keywords: | Engineering |
| Date: | 2023–09–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt73f4d4bc&r=tre |
| By: | Krakowski, Krzysztof; Ronconi, Lucas |
| Abstract: | Does compliance with low-cost civic duties increase demand for social accountability? We address this question by conducting a field experiment at train stations in Buenos Aires. We create exogenous variation in compliance with paying the public transportation fare by i) highlighting sanctions for non-compliance and ii) appealing to compliance norms whereby 90 percent of passengers pay the fare. We find that both sanctions and norms treatments raise compliance. However, only appeals to compliance norms make treated passengers more willing to sign a petition demanding quality public transportation serviceour measure of demand for social accountability. To probe the mechanisms explaining these patterns, we show that compliance invoked by adherence to norms makes subjects feel more entitled to demand accountability and trust the government to respect this right to a greater extent. Our findings suggest that raising compliance through appeals to social norms may thus have wider benefits for civic behaviors. |
| Keywords: | Compliance;accountability;Norms;Sanctions;Argentina |
| JEL: | D91 H26 O12 |
| Date: | 2023–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idb:brikps:12930&r=tre |
| By: | Michael D. Plante |
| Abstract: | A large number of companies operating in the EV and battery supply chain have listed on a major U.S. stock exchange in recent years. This paper investigates 1) how these companies’ stock returns are related to systematic risk factors that can explain movements in the stock market and 2) how these companies’ idiosyncratic returns are related to one another. To do so, I compile a unique data set of intradaily stock returns that spans the supply chain, including companies focused on the mining of battery and EV-related critical minerals, advanced battery technology, lithium-ion battery production, EV original equipment manufacturers (EV OEMs) and EV charging companies. The returns are decomposed into a systematic and idiosyncratic component, with the systematic component given by latent factors extracted from a large panel of stock returns using high-frequency principal components. A key feature of the returns of interest is that they can be explained not only by a market factor but also by a second factor that loads on tech and consumer discretionary stocks. There is evidence for cross-sectional dependence in the idiosyncratic returns but correlations are generally low, except for some specific groups, e.g., lithium mining companies. The first principal component of the idiosyncratic returns, which can be viewed as an “EV” factor, explains only about 13 percent of their variation. |
| Keywords: | stock returns; principal components; electric vehicles; batteries; high-frequency data |
| JEL: | G10 Q40 C55 |
| Date: | 2023–09–26 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:feddwp:96951&r=tre |