Title

Not All EVs Are Equal: Heterogeneity in Behavior and Energy Consumption in the Plug-in Vehicle Fleet

Time

1:40 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Location

1605 Tilia, Room 1103, West Village

Abstract

In the past several years, electric vehicles have entered the marketplace in greater numbers and governmental policies around EVs have largely focused on creating incentives for consumers to adopt them.  However, the benefit of electrified vehicles, whether measured by petroleum displacement or energy consumption, is highly context-dependent.  This presentation reviews the results of two studies of in-use fleets of electrified vehicles in the United States which study the energy consumption and charging behavior of users of PHEV and EV fleets.  Results show that energy consumption varies highly, even trip-to-trip in the same vehicle, and that accessory loads are a large driver of variability.  Recharging behavior, modeled as a binary logit model, also varies widely across the user base, but even under optimal conditions the probability of a user recharging rarely exceeded 50%.

Biographical Sketch

Stephen Zoepf is a doctoral researcher at the Sloan Automotive Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  His work focuses on the adoption and usage of new vehicle technology, particularly electrified vehicle powertrains, and the role of technology in the shared vehicle environment.  Prior to beginning his graduate work Stephen was an engineer and product manager at BMW and Ford.