Faculty/Staff Daily Digest

Scott Kelley, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of Nevada, Reno

 

Friday, October 4, 2019

12:20-1:15PM, Austin 434

 

Supported by 50 public refueling stations, over 7,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) have been adopted by California drivers since 2015, signaling that this technology is beginning to gain traction in the consumer market.  To date, there has been uncertainty about how early HFCV adopters would prioritize convenience of stations to their home and work locations, frequently traveled routes, or other important travel destinations, and only speculation about how these considerations may change over time.  Given the growing number of new HFCV drivers in California, there is an opportunity to address these priority research topics. In the spring of 2019, 129 HFCV adopters participated in a web-based survey that prompted them to list their approximate home location and three most frequented destinations at the time they purchased their HFCV and the five hydrogen refueling stations they intended to use at that time.  Drivers were then asked if their list of refueling stations have changed after experience.  Results indicate that nearly one-third of drivers have changed the list of stations they initially considered, and while stated and revealed proximity to home locations continue to be an essential consideration for drivers at the time of purchase, network GIS analysis shows that stations added after experience are further from home, require short deviations to reach, and are convenient to travel destinations that fulfill multiple trip purposes. These findings can help inform future station planning strategies in other regions, including the northeastern United States, which is the next region slated for HFCV roll-out.