How Responsive is Saudi New Vehicle Fleet Fuel Economy to Fuel-and Vehicle-price Policy Levers?

  • Focus Area -
  • Type KAPSARC journal article
  • Date 1 December 2020
Print

Abstract

This paper investigates the drivers of recent improvements in Saudi Arabia’s fleet fuel economy for new vehicles including passenger cars and light-duty trucks. Vehicle choice models are estimated using both aggregate new vehicle sales data and disaggregate new vehicle buyer survey data. The estimated models are used to simulate counterfactual policy scenarios. Simulation results suggest that the Saudi gasoline price elasticity of demand for new vehicle fuel economy decreased slightly over recent years, but it is still more elastic than that of the United States. Moreover, the increase in domestic gasoline prices between 2014 and 2016 accounted for 42% of the increase in estimated new vehicle fleet fuel economy over that period. Finally, the estimated elasticities, and thus policy sensitivities, vary by income and household size. A revenue-neutral household income- and size-based feebate policy could be more progressive than a gasoline price increase for improving the new vehicle fleet fuel economy.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2020.105026

Science Direct

Authors

Rubal Dua

Rubal Dua

Fellow Rubal is a research fellow at KAPSARC focused on understanding consumer decision making, in particular, consumer choice of energy-efficient technologies… Rubal is a research fellow at KAPSARC focused on understanding consumer decision making, in particular, consumer choice of energy-efficient technologies and mobility options under alternative technology and policy scenarios. Before joining KAPSARC, Rubal gained a Ph.D. at KAUST designing advanced carbon materials for energy and environmental applications, with a particular focus on energy storage, carbon capture, waste-water treatment, and hydrogen generation via solar water splitting. Prior to that, he worked at the University of Pennsylvania on a semiconductor industry-funded project, developing a continuum modeling framework for simulating the physics of micro defect formation in silicon crystals.

Expertise

  • Behavorial decision science
  • Consumer adoption
  • Energy-efficient mobility and shared autonomous mobility-on-demand

Publications See all Rubal Dua’s publications

Tamara Sheldon

Tamara Sheldon

Visiting Researcher Tamara is a visiting researcher at KAPSARC and an assistant professor of economics in the Darla Moore School of Business at… Tamara is a visiting researcher at KAPSARC and an assistant professor of economics in the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. Her research interests include environmental and energy economics and how these fields interact with public policy. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego.

Share this Publication

Stay informed

 I'm interested in

Select the updates you'd like to receive from us

About

A bit about you