UC Irvine Institute of Transportation Studies

This research explores factors which influence demand for light-duty alternative-fuel vehicles among commercial and governmental fleets. The data are derived from a large, comprehensive 1994 survey of more than 2,000 fleet sites in California. A model is developed to predict near-term adoption of alternative-fuel vehicles using variables in three categories: (1) fleet site characteristics, including on-site refueling, average annual miles traveled, vehicle duty cycles, and fleet size; (2) organizational decision making attributes; and (3) perceived awareness that a fleet site is subject to legislation that requires the use of alternative-fuel vehicles. This third factor, AFV mandates, is the most important, but a number of fleet site characteristics are also significant precursors of AFV demand.