The electric vehicle has received considerable policy attention as the mode of choice for alternative fuels to gasoline. The US has established a national goal of one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015, and introduced numerous incentives for taxpayers and automakers to invest in development and production of electric vehicles. Far from being a lone wolf, every developed country in the world also offers a suite of similar goals for market penetration. Additionally, China seeks to motorize its burgeoning car market with home-grown electric vehicles that compete in a global automobile market.

            This widespread intervention in policy has multiple motivations in the form of global challenges. The worldwide supply of petroleum-based energy sources continues to be more expensive and difficult to access amid increasing global demand. Energy security concerns as much as any environmental ones seem to drive interest in non-petroleum based fuels. Additionally, policies appear designed to encourage technological investment as part of economic development goals in battery, electric, and automotive component industries. Thus, the implications of investment in electric vehicles are extensive and far-reaching.

            While work has been done on the types of policies employed and the potential consumer response to electric vehicles, less examined has been the role of travel behavior in influencing consumer choice and understanding of electric vehicles and supporting policies. Given the importance of such behavior components as range of the electric vehicle, this is a notable area of research needing examination.

            This study uses a late 2011 survey of urban residents in the twenty-one largest cities in the US to assess the role of travel behavior in influencing stated preferences for four types of alternative fueled vehicles: diesel fuel, conventional hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and plug-in electric vehicles. The results indicate a specific potential role for alternative fueled vehicles based on behavior and holding constant socio-economic and environmental lifestyle factors already known to influence vehicle perception. Respondents indicated significant fears in the ability of plug-in electric vehicles to meet the needs of discretionary trips. A lack of knowledge about the length and frequency of these trips may be fueling this response. For work-trips in households with already a large number of car trips, respondents viewed plug-in electric vehicles favorably. There was also the possibility of conventional and plug-in hybrids providing mobility enhancement for choice transit and walk/bike users. These results are discussed in light of their implications for policies designed to enact change in societal goals via adoption of electric vehicles.