Publication Detail
An Organizational Approach to Understanding the Incorporation of Innovative Technologies into the Fleet Vehicle Market with Direct Application to Alternative Fuel Vehicles
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UCD-ITS-RR-96-06 Research Report Alumni Theses and Dissertations Download PDF |
Suggested Citation:
Nesbitt, Kevin A. (1996) An Organizational Approach to Understanding the Incorporation of Innovative Technologies into the Fleet Vehicle Market with Direct Application to Alternative Fuel Vehicles. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-96-06
Businesses, utility companies, and government agencies have long been targeted as the ideal initial market for alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) because they purchase approximately one quarter of all light-duty vehicles sold in the U.S. each year and account for a large share of the total vehicle miles traveled in urban areas with poor air quality. Fleet vehicles that operate on pre-determined routes and that are centrally refueled are especially conducive to those AFVs which have limited driving ranges and little or no public fuel distribution network. Although fleets provide a promising market for AFVs, sales have been slow and few. One explanation is that policymakers do not understand how fleet and vehicle decisions are made.
Because of the importance of the decision—in terms of people affected, resources demanded and precedents set—the purchase of an AFV by a fleet will not be a routine acquisition. Possible organizational implications of an AFV purchase (infrastructure installation requirements, corporate image benefits, etc.) will lead to a wide variety of individuals participating in the decision. This research represents the first comprehensive analysis of the fleet vehicle purchase decision within an organizational context.
Several types of information and data regarding the fleet decision process were collected. Seven focus groups were conducted with 59 fleet operators, 35 one-on-one interviews were conducted with fleet decisionmakers respresenting 22 organizations, and a sophisticated multi-part statewide survey was administered to over 2700 organizations in California. Analysis of the data reveals four distinct decision-making structures which are used to form a typology of fleets. In order to operationalize the typology, a discriminant analysis was conducted and logit model developed to classify fleets into the typology categories. The classification model incorporates variables of fleet attributes that act as proxies for decision-making behavior. These attributes can be retrieved from public records.
The four fleet types are analyzed with respect to how each will likely respond to existing and proposed AFV policies and implementation strategies. Recommendations are made for formulating new AFV marketing strategies tailored specifically to the needs and decision behavior of each fleet type.
Because of the importance of the decision—in terms of people affected, resources demanded and precedents set—the purchase of an AFV by a fleet will not be a routine acquisition. Possible organizational implications of an AFV purchase (infrastructure installation requirements, corporate image benefits, etc.) will lead to a wide variety of individuals participating in the decision. This research represents the first comprehensive analysis of the fleet vehicle purchase decision within an organizational context.
Several types of information and data regarding the fleet decision process were collected. Seven focus groups were conducted with 59 fleet operators, 35 one-on-one interviews were conducted with fleet decisionmakers respresenting 22 organizations, and a sophisticated multi-part statewide survey was administered to over 2700 organizations in California. Analysis of the data reveals four distinct decision-making structures which are used to form a typology of fleets. In order to operationalize the typology, a discriminant analysis was conducted and logit model developed to classify fleets into the typology categories. The classification model incorporates variables of fleet attributes that act as proxies for decision-making behavior. These attributes can be retrieved from public records.
The four fleet types are analyzed with respect to how each will likely respond to existing and proposed AFV policies and implementation strategies. Recommendations are made for formulating new AFV marketing strategies tailored specifically to the needs and decision behavior of each fleet type.
Ph.D. Dissertation