ISTP News

A new report based on data from the Swiss Mobility Panel explores Swiss public opinion on a new tax on electric cars

The future of rail transport is being revamped to include more than just trains. Researchers from the ISTP have completed a research project on the potential transformation of railway stations into what they call "mobility hubs". The first results from their survey are now out.

The Swiss Mobility Lab investigated the individual characteristics of current battery electric vehicle (BEV) holders. Gracia Brückmann, Fabian Willibald and Victor Blanco find that BEV adoption is predicted by technology affinity, high income, green party preferences, and living in one’s own house. Their research was published in Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment.

The second video of our video statement series "ISTP4Public" is out and it provides fresh insights into the public support and the political feasibility of policy options for promoting EV adoption. ISTP PhD student Gracia Brückmann shares the key findings of her and Prof. Thomas Bernauer’s recently published study in Environmental Research Letters.

We are delighted to announce that ISTP PhD Candidate Sergio Guidon successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on Tuesday, 19 May 2020. We would like to congratulate him warmly and wish him all the best for his future career!

The transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to global CO₂. In a study published in Environmental Research Letters, Gracia Brückmann and Prof. Thomas Bernauer examined public support for, and the political feasibility of policy options for promoting EV adoption. Based on a choice experiment, they find that pull measures, such as subsidies for electric cars, attract more public support, and support levels do not decrease much when funding options are revealed.

The execution of test runs with autonomous vehicles offers a good opportunity to assess public opinion. To examine public acceptance with objective criteria, the ISTP conducted a panel study with residents from the canton of Schaffhausen, Switzerland. The data collection and the results are presented in a report by Dr. Michael Wicki and Prof. Thomas Bernauer.

A recent article on shared autonomous vehicles (AVs) by Postdoctoral Researcher at ETH Zurich Michael Wicki, ISTP PhD Student Sergio Guidon, PhD Candidate at the Institute for Transport Planning and Systems Felix Becker, ETH Zurich Prof. Dr. Thomas Bernauer and Prof. Dr. Kay Axhausen was published in Research in Transportation Business & Management.

ISTP PhD student Gracia Brückmann investigated the impact of user experience and information on car holders’ perceptions of EV attributes, and preferences regarding policies to promote energy-efficient cars. The results were presented at the 4^th AIEE Energy Symposium in Rome on Wednesday, December 11, 2019.

The Swiss Mobility Lab at ISTP hosts an interactive workshop to share its research results and exchange ideas with invited policy-​makers and planners. The event will be held in room E 23, ground floor in the Main ETH (HG) Building on Monday, 9 December 2019. Registration is required.

A new publication on the Journal of Transport Geography by Sergio Guidon, Michael Wicki, Prof. Dr. Thomas Bernauer and Prof. Dr. Kay Axhausen on the importance of social networks in explaining residential location decisions.

Sergio Guidon, Michael Wicki, Thomas Bernauer and Kay Axhausen investigated consumer preferences of service bundling in the passenger transportation market (“Mobility as a Service” bundles). The results were presented at the Swiss Mobility Arena by the ISTP researcher Sergio Guidon. Their research was published in Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice.

A new paper by the ISTP researchers Gracia Brückmann, Fabian Willibald & Victor Blanco will be presented at the 42nd International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) Annual Conference in Montréal, Canada taking place from May 29 to June 1, 2019.

The ISTP researchers Sergio Guidon, Michael Wicki along with our members Prof. Thomas Bernauer and Prof. Kay Axhausen recently published an article in the Journal of Transport Geography. It deals with the social aspect of residential location choice, and the trade-off between proximity to social contacts and commuting.

Interim report by the ISTP Swiss Mobility Lab on the first survey on the pilot experiment of an automated bus service in Neuhausen am Rheinfall.