Vehicle automation, onboard environment, and in-vehicle time use: Findings from a stated choice experiment

This study examines the impact of vehicle automation and onboard activities on travel mode preferences based on a stated choice experiment conducted among 696 visitors to US national parks. Several multinomial and mixed logit models were estimated to analyze preferences for human-driven vehicles (HV), autonomous vehicles (AV), and AVs with work and leisure interiors (AV-WL), and to calculate the associated value of travel time (VOTT). The estimated VOTT values for HV, AV, and AV-WL were $34.80, $31.10, and $29.90 per hour, respectively. The reduction in VOTT from HV to AV and further from AV to AV-WL indicates that vehicle automation and onboard environments have a tangible monetary impact on travelers’ perceived value of time. While in-vehicle activities did not significantly contribute to VOTT for HV, entertainment activities had a measurable impact on VOTT for AV and AV-WL. Although the results indicate that the influence of in-vehicle activities and onboard environments on AV adoption and associated VOTT is less substantial than expected, they highlight that vehicle automation, interior designs, and the propensity for in-vehicle activities and their usefulness are critical factors influencing mode choice decisions in the AV era. Furthermore, these findings suggest that a shift in activity travel patterns due to automation is unlikely unless suitable vehicle interiors are designed to support work and leisure activities. Thus, from a time-use perspective, vehicle automation may exacerbate the issue of larger car sizes, increasing energy consumption and space requirements as automated vehicles with favorable and more spacious interiors become more desirable.