Longitudinal Monitoring of Electric Vehicle Travel Trends Using Connected Vehicle Data

Historically, practitioners and researchers have used selected count station data and survey-based methods along with demand modeling to forecast vehicle miles traveled (VMT). While these methods may suffer from self-reporting bias or spatial and temporal constraints, the widely available connected...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jairaj Desai, Jijo K. Mathew, Nathaniel J. Sturdevant, Darcy M. Bullock
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:World Electric Vehicle Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/15/12/560
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850036077370277888
author Jairaj Desai
Jijo K. Mathew
Nathaniel J. Sturdevant
Darcy M. Bullock
author_facet Jairaj Desai
Jijo K. Mathew
Nathaniel J. Sturdevant
Darcy M. Bullock
author_sort Jairaj Desai
collection DOAJ
description Historically, practitioners and researchers have used selected count station data and survey-based methods along with demand modeling to forecast vehicle miles traveled (VMT). While these methods may suffer from self-reporting bias or spatial and temporal constraints, the widely available connected vehicle (CV) data at 3 s fidelity, independent of any fixed sensor constraints, present a unique opportunity to complement traditional VMT estimation processes with real-world data in near real-time. This study developed scalable methodologies and analyzed 238 billion records representing 16 months of connected vehicle data from January 2022 through April 2023 for Indiana, classified as internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid (HVs) or electric vehicles (EVs). Year-over-year comparisons showed a significant increase in EVMT (+156%) with minor growth in ICEVMT (+2%). A route-level analysis enables stakeholders to evaluate the impact of their charging infrastructure investments at the federal, state, and even local level, unbound by jurisdictional constraints. Mean and median EV trip lengths on the six longest interstate corridors showed a 7.1 and 11.5 mile increase, respectively, from April 2022 to April 2023. Although the current CV dataset does not randomly sample the full fleet of ICE, HVs, and EVs, the methodologies and visuals in this study present a framework for future evaluations of the return on charging infrastructure investments on a regular basis using real-world data from electric vehicles traversing U.S. roads. This study presents novel contributions in utilizing CV data to compute performance measures such as VMT and trip lengths by vehicle type—EV, HV, or ICE, unattainable using traditional data collection practices that cannot differentiate among vehicle types due to inherent limitations. We believe the analysis presented in this paper can serve as a framework to support dialogue between agencies and automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers in developing an unbiased framework for deriving anonymized performance measures for agencies to make informed data-driven infrastructure investment decisions to equitably serve ICE, HV, and EV users.
format Article
id doaj-art-9005a4e8876d42aaa152cf8bdce46be3
institution DOAJ
issn 2032-6653
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series World Electric Vehicle Journal
spelling doaj-art-9005a4e8876d42aaa152cf8bdce46be32025-08-20T02:57:18ZengMDPI AGWorld Electric Vehicle Journal2032-66532024-12-01151256010.3390/wevj15120560Longitudinal Monitoring of Electric Vehicle Travel Trends Using Connected Vehicle DataJairaj Desai0Jijo K. Mathew1Nathaniel J. Sturdevant2Darcy M. Bullock3Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USALyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USAIndiana Department of Transportation, Indianapolis, IN 46204, USALyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USAHistorically, practitioners and researchers have used selected count station data and survey-based methods along with demand modeling to forecast vehicle miles traveled (VMT). While these methods may suffer from self-reporting bias or spatial and temporal constraints, the widely available connected vehicle (CV) data at 3 s fidelity, independent of any fixed sensor constraints, present a unique opportunity to complement traditional VMT estimation processes with real-world data in near real-time. This study developed scalable methodologies and analyzed 238 billion records representing 16 months of connected vehicle data from January 2022 through April 2023 for Indiana, classified as internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid (HVs) or electric vehicles (EVs). Year-over-year comparisons showed a significant increase in EVMT (+156%) with minor growth in ICEVMT (+2%). A route-level analysis enables stakeholders to evaluate the impact of their charging infrastructure investments at the federal, state, and even local level, unbound by jurisdictional constraints. Mean and median EV trip lengths on the six longest interstate corridors showed a 7.1 and 11.5 mile increase, respectively, from April 2022 to April 2023. Although the current CV dataset does not randomly sample the full fleet of ICE, HVs, and EVs, the methodologies and visuals in this study present a framework for future evaluations of the return on charging infrastructure investments on a regular basis using real-world data from electric vehicles traversing U.S. roads. This study presents novel contributions in utilizing CV data to compute performance measures such as VMT and trip lengths by vehicle type—EV, HV, or ICE, unattainable using traditional data collection practices that cannot differentiate among vehicle types due to inherent limitations. We believe the analysis presented in this paper can serve as a framework to support dialogue between agencies and automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers in developing an unbiased framework for deriving anonymized performance measures for agencies to make informed data-driven infrastructure investment decisions to equitably serve ICE, HV, and EV users.https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/15/12/560connected vehicleselectric vehiclesvehicle miles traveledcharging infrastructuretrip trends
spellingShingle Jairaj Desai
Jijo K. Mathew
Nathaniel J. Sturdevant
Darcy M. Bullock
Longitudinal Monitoring of Electric Vehicle Travel Trends Using Connected Vehicle Data
World Electric Vehicle Journal
connected vehicles
electric vehicles
vehicle miles traveled
charging infrastructure
trip trends
title Longitudinal Monitoring of Electric Vehicle Travel Trends Using Connected Vehicle Data
title_full Longitudinal Monitoring of Electric Vehicle Travel Trends Using Connected Vehicle Data
title_fullStr Longitudinal Monitoring of Electric Vehicle Travel Trends Using Connected Vehicle Data
title_full_unstemmed Longitudinal Monitoring of Electric Vehicle Travel Trends Using Connected Vehicle Data
title_short Longitudinal Monitoring of Electric Vehicle Travel Trends Using Connected Vehicle Data
title_sort longitudinal monitoring of electric vehicle travel trends using connected vehicle data
topic connected vehicles
electric vehicles
vehicle miles traveled
charging infrastructure
trip trends
url https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/15/12/560
work_keys_str_mv AT jairajdesai longitudinalmonitoringofelectricvehicletraveltrendsusingconnectedvehicledata
AT jijokmathew longitudinalmonitoringofelectricvehicletraveltrendsusingconnectedvehicledata
AT nathanieljsturdevant longitudinalmonitoringofelectricvehicletraveltrendsusingconnectedvehicledata
AT darcymbullock longitudinalmonitoringofelectricvehicletraveltrendsusingconnectedvehicledata