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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Harold, Brian; Rodier, Caroline PhD |
| Abstract: | In the US, access to a personal vehicle is often essential for getting to work, school, healthcare services, shopping, and other daily needs. To expand mobility options and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, several states have launched publicly supported electric vehicle (EV) carsharing pilot programs. These programs aim to provide affordable, low-carbon transportation options to households that cannot afford to own a vehicle. Míocar, a nonprofit carsharing service, has implemented successful pilots in rural and suburban communities in California’s San Joaquin Valley. In 2022, it expanded its service to the urban environment of Richmond, California by coordinating with the City of Richmond to implement a total of six carshare hubs, three of which are still operational as of 2025. Our research team studied the Richmond pilot service using member surveys, vehicle use data, and interviews with Míocar staff to understand how well the model translated to a denser urban setting and what lessons could guide future deployments. |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences |
| Date: | 2026–05–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt3mw5h90d |
| By: | Yanrui Wu (Department of Economics, University of Western Australia) |
| Abstract: | This report presents an overview of the supply chains of key EV battery critical minerals by examining the electric battery industry of China. It highlights the potential supply chain risks and discusses options to minimize these risks. It then provides several policy recommendations for relevant governments. |
| Keywords: | electric vehicle industry, EV batteries, battery critical minerals, supply chains |
| JEL: | F13 L62 O25 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:uwa:wpaper:26-03 |
| By: | Toman, Michael A. (Resources for the Future); Lohawala, Nafisa (Resources for the Future); Shih, Jhih-Shyang (Resources for the Future) |
| Abstract: | Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) are widely viewed as essential in the near-to-medium term for significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the aviation sector. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has set a goal of net-zero aviation emissions by 2050, and several jurisdictions—including the European Union and United Kingdom—have adopted policies mandating increasing SAF use. The United States has several tax breaks available to SAF producers. See Lohawala et al. (2026) for an overview of SAF policy frameworks in the United States and other jurisdictions. Despite these policy signals, however, SAF production remains far below the scale required to meet ICAO’s longer-term emission-mitigation targets (ICAO 2025a).Several technological pathways exist for producing SAF. One emerging option is ethanol-to-jet (ETJ), which converts ethanol derived from biomass into jet fuel through a series of chemical processes. Because ethanol production is already well established—particularly in the United States—ETJ has attracted attention as a pathway that could expand SAF supply in the near-to-medium term. Companies such as LanzaJet (which began operating the first commercial-scale US ETJ facility in 2024), Gevo, and Summit Next Gen are pursuing ETJ.Lohawala (2026) examined the potential role of corn-based, or “first-generation, ” ETJ in SAF markets by comparing it with the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) pathway—the most established SAF technology today—which converts lipid feedstocks, such as vegetable oils and animal fats, into jet fuel. That analysis identified several factors that have drawn interest to ETJ relative to HEFA. First, lipid feedstocks are limited and already face competing demand from renewable diesel and other markets, raising concerns about long-term availability. By contrast, US corn-based ethanol production occurs at large scale, supported by extensive agricultural supply chains and processing infrastructure, creating the possibility of expanding SAF production by leveraging an established industry. Such expansion may also become more relevant for ethanol producers if demand for ethanol in road transportation declines as electric vehicles gain market share. The analysis also noted that ETJ may be more cost-competitive, in part because corn feedstocks are typically less expensive than vegetable oils.However, the analysis highlighted an important challenge: the life-cycle carbon intensity (CI) of corn-based ETJ. CI is a central metric in SAF policy because many programs worldwide condition eligibility or credit values on the estimated CI of a fuel relative to fossil jet fuel. The CI for corn-based fuels can be substantial, reflecting emissions from fertilizer use, farm energy, ethanol processing, and potential land-use change in crop production. The potential role of corn-based ETJ as a low-carbon aviation fuel depends on the extent to which its CI can be reduced without sharply increasing production costs.We examine how this CI-reduction challenge could be addressed by focusing on emissions-reduction strategies that the literature identifies as having relatively large mitigation potential across the ETJ supply chain. Although these strategies can lower emissions, they also introduce additional costs and infrastructure requirements that create barriers for scaling up ETJ. |
| Date: | 2026–04–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rff:ibrief:ib-26-03 |
| By: | Wang, Yitian (Department of Economics, Monash University, Clayton, Australia); Vespignani, Joaquin (Tasmanian School of Business & Economics, University of Tasmania); Smyth, Russell (Department of Economics, Monash University, Clayton, Australia) |
| Abstract: | Accelerating transport electrification is vital for net-zero goals, yet remains hindered by slow, uncertain development of battery minerals. We show how non-technical risk, such as policy, regulatory, social, and geopolitical risk, inflate capital costs, delay greenfield supply, and heighten price volatility for lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, graphite, and copper. Combining Fraser Institute investment scores with reserve shares of these critical minerals, we construct dynamic, mineral-specific risk premiums, derive an optimal stockpiling rule balancing risk and storage costs and introduce a distance-to-iso-cost map comparing recycling and stockpiling strategies. Our framework suggests that in 2040 recycling-led stabilization will be the optimal strategy for mitigating non-technical risk for Japan and Korea, strategic stockpiling will be the optimal strategy for China and the United States, and mixed outcomes for Europe. The method that we propose provides a tractable and updateable toolkit for deciding optimal stockpiles and prioritising recycling where it is most cost-effective. |
| Keywords: | economics; finance; energy economics |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tas:wpaper:30907352 |
| By: | Herrmann, Friedrich; Hartig, Moritz; Isenhardt, Lars; Seifert, Stefan |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the impact of the abolition of the European sugar quota in 2017 on transport times and distances between sugar beet fields and processing factories in Lower Saxony, Germany. Using parcel-level data from the EU Integrated Administration and Control System (2012–2024), soil quality information, and OpenStreetMap-based routing, three weighted regression models were estimated. Results show that transport times increased by 6–9% following quota abolition, implying higher procurement costs for sugar factories. This finding contrasts with earlier expectations of lower costs and welfare gains from sugar market liberalization. Additional factors such as ecological focus areas, maize expansion linked to biogas production, and soil quality also influenced transport outcomes. The study provides the first empirical evidence on transport cost effects of quota abolition in Germany, demonstrating that liberalization of final product markets does not necessarily generate efficiency gains in upstream agricultural input markets. |
| Keywords: | Crop Production/Industries |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aes026:397916 |
| By: | Andreas Hagn; Jan Krause; Moritz Stargalla; Lorenza Moreno |
| Abstract: | This paper studies a variant of the Set Covering Routing Problem (SCRP) motivated by post-disaster humanitarian logistics. We consider a hybrid distribution concept in which the majority of transportation is performed by helicopters, while ground transport is limited to the last mile, addressing severe accessibility constraints in disaster-affected regions. The resulting problem integrates landing site location, routing, and covering decisions, incorporating features of the Multi-Vehicle Covering Tour Problem (m-CTP) and the Vehicle Routing with Demand Allocation Problem (VRDAP) in a facility-capacitated, multi-depot setting. Due to the computational complexity of the problem, we develop an Adaptive Variable Neighborhood Search (AVNS) that combines established routing operators with novel mechanisms for covering decisions. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated on benchmark instances for the related m-CTP and VRDAP problems, demonstrating competitive solution quality compared to problem-specific state-of-the-art approaches. Furthermore, we apply our AVNS to a real-world case study based on the 2024 flash floods in Afghanistan. The results highlight the practical relevance of the proposed framework and provide managerial insights into effective distribution strategies for disaster response operations. |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2605.00131 |
| By: | Jorgenson, Armin |
| Abstract: | This report provides a comparative analysis of development project siting in the City of San Mateo before and after the implementation of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) policies mandated by California Senate Bill 743 (SB 743) in 2020. The purpose of this comparison is to determine whether or not the policy changes have successfully influenced new projects to be located in more VMT-efficient areas, which is a core objective of the policy. This research used archived lists of development projects provided on the City of San Mateo’s website to construct a pair of two-year samples to represent pre- and post-SB 743 projects. The C/CAG VMT Screening Tool was used to test each project to determine if the location was in a Transit Priority Area and/or a Low-VMT Area, two commonly used metrics in VMT analysis. The research found that, following the implementation of SB 743 requirements, the proportion of projects in Transit Priority Areas increased from 69.4% to 80.0%, and among approved projects, increased from 58.8% to 87.5%. However, the proportion of projects located in Low-VMT Areas did not show the same patterns. The results suggest that SB 743 is effectively encouraging development near transit, but falls short in steering projects to the most VMT-efficient areas, potentially limiting its emissions-reduction impact. The steering of projects towards TPAs may be the result of multiple overlapping incentives. This paper is intended for planners and policymakers evaluating the on-the-ground effects of SB 743. |
| Date: | 2026–04–27 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:gkuz4_v1 |
| By: | Geoff Boeing |
| Abstract: | Urban planners need up-to-date, global, and consistent street network models and indicators to measure resilience and performance, model accessibility, and target local quality-of-life interventions. This article presents up-to-date street network models and indicators for every urban area in the world. It uses 2025 urban area boundaries from the Global Human Settlement Layer, allowing users to join these data to hundreds of other urban attributes. Its workflow ingests 180 million OpenStreetMap nodes and 360 million OpenStreetMap edges across 10, 351 urban areas in 189 countries. The code, models, and indicators are publicly available for reuse. These resources unlock worldwide urban street network science beyond samples as well as local analyses in under-resourced regions where models and indicators are otherwise less-accessible. |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2605.00108 |
| By: | Brühl, Volker |
| Abstract: | Since the Iran war, fuel prices in Germany have risen sharply. Our analysis shows that diesel prices at gas stations have increased much more than crude oil prices. On average, downstream margins for oil companies rose by 29 euro cents per liter of diesel during the period under review. To ensure that, in times of crisis, only actual changes in crude oil prices are passed on to end consumers, gas station prices could be linked to daily spot prices in Rotterdam or to short-term Brent futures contracts. |
| Keywords: | Iran-Krieg, Rohölpreise, Tankstellenpreise für Diesel, Iran war, crude oil prices, gas station prices for diesel |
| JEL: | Q40 Q41 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:cfswop:340835 |
| By: | Massoud Karshenas; Hashem Pesaran; Ron Smith; M. Hashem Pesaran |
| Abstract: | The disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has once again exposed a structural weakness at the heart of the global energy system. Roughly a fifth of the world's seaborne oil passes through this narrow waterway. Any interruption carries immediate and far-reaching economic consequences. The question is not simply how to restore access, but how to ensure that such disruptions do not recur. This paper provides an economic model towards a durable resolution of security of shipping through Persian Gulf. |
| Keywords: | shipping, transit costs, global supply chains |
| JEL: | F68 G22 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12633 |