California Vehicle Survey

The California Vehicle Survey provides information on shifting light-duty vehicle choice trends by capturing consumer preferences for various vehicle attributes. The California Energy Commission uses the survey to forecast transportation fuel needs in the state and to provide insights on key topics that inform transportation policy.

The household and commercial vehicle survey data are used to update the light-duty vehicle choice models. These models are used to generate light duty vehicle demand forecasts and provide understanding about such questions as:

  • How many light-duty cars and trucks will be on California roads?
  • How much and what kind of fuels will they use?
  • What will be the transportation energy infrastructure needs of California in the future?

In addition to the main survey of California vehicle owners, the 2017 survey included an add-on survey of Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) owners. The 2019 survey included an add-on survey of Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) owners in both household and commercial light duty vehicle market segments. The 2024 survey included additional sample and questions for ZEV owners and added Autonomous Vehicles (AV) to the mix of questions, so that the model has the capability to forecast demand for AVs. Additionally, the 2024 survey included additional questions on V2G, solar energy and battery ownership.

Resources Systems Group (RSG) was selected for conducting Energy Commission’s 2024 vehicle survey, as well as updating the vehicle choice models. Survey data collection has been completed in November 2024 and the survey data is available through NREL’s Transportation Secure Data Center.

Accessing the Complete Survey Data

The 2013, 2017, 2019 and 2024 survey data are at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at Transportation Secure Data Center (TSDC). Create a free account to access the data.

The data include information on the participants’ current household and commercial light-duty vehicles, as well as their preferences for a hypothetical set of vehicles. The data also includes some information on travel behavior.

Accessing Survey Reports

Resources Systems Group prepared the technical reports for the 2017 California Vehicle Survey for the Energy Commission. The first report is on survey design and light duty vehicle choice models. The second report includes design details and additional models. 

The 2024 survey report will be posted later this Spring.

Surveys

Contact

Aniss Bahreinian (Project Manager)
California Vehicle Survey
CAVehicleSurvey@energy.ca.gov

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