Real-world insights into user acceptance of renewable fuels in passenger vehicles

Abstract

Renewable fuels offer the possibility to reduce CO2 emissions of existing passenger vehicles. They can provide a transitional solution until fleets are converted to zero-emission powertrains. To ensure a widespread use of these fuels, their acceptance by users is crucial. However, to date there is limited research on this topic. Therefore, in 2020 we conducted a survey on user acceptance of renewable fuels in Germany with over 500 participants. The results were representatively weighted with respect to place of residence, household size, and the number of passenger vehicles in the household. The study also includes a stated choice experiment and a willingness-to-pay analysis. First, we found that opinions on renewable fuels are mixed. While very polarizing attitudes can be seen in some questions, some uncertainty can also be seen. The majority of respondents would be willing to retrofit their vehicle for these fuels. With increasing environmental awareness or experience with alternative fuels, there is also an increase in willingness to retrofit vehicles. Second, the results show that the vehicle owners surveyed usually refuel at two or three different petrol stations. The majority of respondents considered the availability of renewable fuels at every second filling station to be sufficient. Third, financial benefits were identified as particularly attractive, especially those for fuel price, vehicle tax, or retrofits. Furthermore, the analysis of the stated-choice survey revealed that fuel price plays a particularly important role in the choice of fuel. Finally, various fuel properties were assessed differently depending on gender, environmental attitudes, and the number of household vehicles. Among other things, it can be seen that women and individuals with several vehicles are willing to pay a higher premium for additional driving range. For environmentally conscious individuals, CO2 emissions and resource consumption also play an important role. Consequently, this research provides critical insights into user acceptance of renewable fuels, which can play an essential role in emission reductions of the transportation sector.