Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Jan 2024)
Using insights on potential users’ behavior and transport requirements to inform the development of a more sustainable vehicle concept as part of a mobility transition
Abstract
Current mobility systems put a burden on people and the environment, e.g., through greenhouse gas emissions, and depletion of natural resources. Therefore, a mobility transition including changes in legislation, infrastructure, and behavior as well as socio-technical innovations is required. Against this backdrop, the inter- and transdisciplinary project presented in this article aims at developing a new vehicle for individual everyday travel. Target characteristics of the vehicle are: resource-efficient, low in harmful substances in its components, and low on greenhouse gas emissions while driving. To inform the vehicle’s development, n = 730 citizens of a medium-sized university city and its surrounding areas in central Germany took part in a survey on their mobility behavior, intention to switch to the new vehicle, their preferences for possible product features, payment models, and road use. Regression analyses revealed that socioeconomic factors (income, children in the household), individual travel characteristics (travel distance, motorization of vehicle), and psychological factors (innovativeness, weather resistance, travel habit strength, attitudes towards cars and bicycles) explained significant portions of the observed variance in participants’ intention to switch from current travel modes to the new vehicle. Furthermore, our results suggest that the new vehicle may be particularly attractive to potential users if it combines advantageous characteristics of bicycles and cars. Compared to sustainability-relevant aspects of vehicle usage, participants ascribed less importance to aspects of vehicle production and disposal. These learnings provide valuable insights for actors in industry, politics, design, and research striving to promote socio-technical innovations for a transition towards more sustainable mobility.
