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March 11, 2023GASOLINE SUPERUSERS
Report from Coltura Finds Achieving Climate Goals Depend on the Rapid Conversion of Gasoline Superusers to Electric Vehicles
Federal and state electric vehicle policy and incentives must target the biggest gasoline consumers to achieve carbon emissions goals.
Our report, “Gasoline Superusers,” provides the first in-depth look at the data available on drivers in the top 10% of gasoline consumption, so-called “gasoline superusers.” It analyzes EV incentives and other policy options for transitioning superusers to EVs and presents a model for achieving significant cuts in gasoline consumption by 2030.
Understanding gasoline consumption patterns is key to effective EV policies and understanding the real-world impact of EV adoption on CO2 emissions.
This is the first published study identifying the demographic characteristics of gasoline superusers and calling for EV incentive programs and other policies to focus on maximizing gasoline displacement. Getting gasoline superusers into EVs as quickly as possible is critical to hitting our climate goals because they consume a third of U.S. gasoline.
Matthew Metz, the lead author of the report and founder and co-executive director of Coltura
The Washington Post and Bloomberg discuss Coltura’s gasoline superuser research here and here.
Key Report Findings:
- Drivers are highly unequal in their gasoline consumption. The drivers in the top 10% of gasoline consumption each use upwards of 1,000 gallons of gasoline each year.
- Collectively Gasoline Superusers burn nearly one-third of all U.S. gasoline consumed in the U.S. by light duty vehicles. This is more than the bottom 60% of users combined. The top 20% of gasoline users burn 48%.
- Revising EV incentives to focus on displacing gasoline consumption will cut gasoline use faster, more efficiently, and at lower cost.
- Getting Gasoline Superusers into EVs as quickly as possible is critical to hitting our climate goals.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF GASOLINE SUPERUSERS:
- Use more than 1,000 gallons of gasoline a year
- Drive three times more miles than the average driver
- Are more likely to drive pickups and SUVs
- Are more likely to live in rural areas
- Have similar income and educational levels as the general population
- Have lower average income levels than current EV drivers
- Spend on average 8% of their income on gasoline — more than twice that of average drivers.
REVISING EV INCENTIVES TO FOCUS ON DISPLACING GASOLINE CONSUMPTION WILL:
- Cut gasoline use faster, more efficiently, and at a lower cost.
- Require fewer EVs to achieve the same level of carbon reduction as existing policies.
- Improve equity.
The current flat EV incentives are being used primarily by higher-income drivers who tend not to use much gasoline… The people who use the most gasoline are more evenly spread across the income spectrum, and many lower-income gasoline superusers spend upwards of 20% of their household income on gasoline. It’s more equitable as well as more efficient to give these drivers the biggest incentives to switch to EVs.
Janelle London, co-author of the report and the co-executive director of Coltura
The findings of this report, modeled in part from data published in the most recent National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), are instrumental for policymakers to design incentive programs and other policies that maximize reductions in gasoline use and address infrastructure requirements to meet the needs of gasoline superusers.
Coming Soon: Superusers 2.0 Report:
The top 10% of US light duty vehicle drivers in terms of their gasoline consumption (“gasoline superusers”) use more gasoline than the bottom 60% of drivers combined. The US could cut gasoline use faster, with fewer total EVs on the road, by prioritizing superusers’ switch to EVs. But governments are tracking numbers of EVs instead of gallons of gasoline displaced – incorrectly assuming that all EVs displace equal amounts of gasoline – and don’t know who these superusers are. Coltura has combined millions of motor vehicle registration records and other datasets to ascertain superuser geographic, demographic, financial, and vehicular details down to the zip code level. We are using this data to advance policies and investments using gasoline reduction as the key metric in cutting transportation emissions, and prioritizing superusers (especially the 60% who are low/moderate income) for EV incentives, education and outreach.
