Mapping vehicle choice sets in the U.S.: Spatial patterns in Light-Duty Vehicle access

• In Event: System-Level Issues with Grid, DER, and Vehicle Technologies

Abstract

Access to a suitable and affordable light-duty vehicle (LDV) remains critical to meeting everyday transportation needs in most parts of the U.S. This study provides a novel, spatially detailed assessment of the vehicles available for purchase by consumers, drawing from new and used dealership listings across the country. We analyze how consumer access to different vehicle types – characterized by powertrain (e.g., gasoline, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery electric), body style (e.g., sedan, SUV, pickup), weight, and price – varies geographically. Our analysis focuses on two core dimensions of access: (1) proximity, measured by the number and distance of listings within a 90-minute drive; and (2) suitability, measured by diversity in powertrain and body style offerings as well as by vehicle weight and price. We characterize this geospatially with a particular focus on variance regarding urbanicity and income levels. This work contributes a supply-side perspective to longstanding policy debates about vehicle affordability and consumer choice, particularly in the context of an evolving market that includes both conventional and plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs, a category that includes plug-in hybrid, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles). It also provides foundational metrics for evaluating how dealership access may affect vehicle adoption. By highlighting geographic variation in the vehicle choices physically available to consumers, our findings support more informed decision-making regarding a number of topics, including transportation affordability and vehicle weight-induced road degradation.

Authors

• John Paul Helveston, George Washington University
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Margaret Taylor, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Sydny Fujita, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  Presenting Author

• Peter Keene Benoliel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  Non-Presenting Co-Author