Alternative Fuels: 6th Survey

* Please enter your respondent PIN ID:

FCHV Impressions

* Please answer the following questions in the context of your experience with the Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle (FCHV) Highlander during the last two weeks. Be sure to read each question carefully, as you will not be able to return to previous questions as you continue through the survey.

During the past two weeks, what percent of your personal trips (you as the driver) has been taken with the FCHV Highlander? (Please select one response.)

Please indicate the types of trips in which you have been the driver but intentionally did not drive the FCHV Highlander. (Please select all that apply.)

Grocery shopping trips

Local shopping errands

Taking kids to school

Going to work

Visiting local friends

Going out for entertainment (e.g., movies, restaurants, etc.)

Intraregional trips (outside your local city, within the metropolitan area)

Interregional trips (outside your metropolitan area)

Other, please specify:

* Could you please elaborate on the general reasons as to why you did not take the FCHV Highlander on these trips?

How many times have you gone to refuel the FCHV Highlander during the past two weeks? (Please select one response.)

I have not yet fueled the FCHV.

Once during the last two weeks

Twice during the last two weeks

Three times during the last two weeks

Four times during the last two weeks

More than five times during the past two weeks

Other, please specify:

Based on what you have witnessed of the refueling process, how would you characterize the ease of fueling the FCHV Highlander? (Please select one response.)

How often have you forgone trips with the FCHV Highlander because you did not have enough fuel, and you could not easily access a station? (Please select one response)

More than 10 times

5 to 10 times

3 to 5 times

1 to 2 times

I have not forgone any trips with the FCV Highlander because of fuel issues.

The limited availability of locations to fuel with hydrogen greatly restricted my use of the FCHV Highlander in my daily travel. (Please select one response.)

During the next two weeks, what percent of your personal trips (you as the driver) do you expect will be taken with the FCHV Highlander? (Please type in response below.)

%

How many times have you gone to refuel the FCHV Highlander during the past two weeks? (Please select one response.)

Once during the past two weeks

Twice during the past two weeks

Three times during the past two weeks

Four times during the past two weeks

Five times during the past two weeks

More than five times during the past two weeks

Other, please specify:

During the past two weeks, at what cruising range remaining have you generally become concerned about not having enough to complete your trips in the FCHV Highlander? (Please select one response.)

50 miles remaining to empty

40 miles remaining to empty

30 miles remaining to empty

20 miles remaining to empty

10 miles remaining to empty

5 miles remaining to empty

Other

How long is the one-way trip to the fueling station from home? (Please select one response.)

Based on your witnessing of the FCHV refueling, how long would you say it has taken to actually fuel the FCHV Highlander at the station (starting from the time the vehicle is pulled up to the pump, ending when you can drive away)? (Please select one response.)

Given your experiences with the FCHV Highlander during the past two weeks, the limited range of the FCHV is a (please select one response):

Serious limitation to using it

Moderate limitation to using it

Minor limitation to using it

Not a limitation to using it

How close have you come to emptying the vehicle before refueling? (Please select one response.)

I ran out of fuel.

I was very close to 0 cruising range miles remaining.

Within 10 cruising range miles

Within 20 cruising range miles

Within 30 cruising range miles

Within 40 cruising range miles

Within 50 cruising range miles

The tank has not fallen below half during the last two weeks.

Now that you have driven the FCHV Highlander for two weeks, we would like to assess how you feel it compares with the traditional hybrid Prius that you first drove in this study. As before, please consider the traditional hybrid Prius to be the benchmark. Assuming that this vehicle is rated as a “3” across all categories, please rate the FCHV Highlander relative to how you feel it has performed versus the gasoline-electric hybrid. (5 is better, 1 is worse) (Please select one response in each row below.)

Are there any features about the FCHV Highlander that you currently consider to be significantly better than the traditional hybrid Prius? Please explain.

Are there any features that are significantly worse than the traditional hybrid Prius?

Are there any features about the FCHV Highlander that you currently consider to be significantly better than the plug-in hybrid Prius (or PHEV Prius)? Please explain.

Are there any features that are significantly worse than the plug-in hybrid Prius (or PHEV Prius)?

Overall, how has the FCHV Highlander met your expectations? (Please select one response.)

Greatly exceeded my expectations

Exceeded my expectations

Met my expectations

Slightly disappointed

Greatly disappointed

Based on your experience so far with the hydrogen vehicle, what is your perception of the safety of hydrogen as a fuel? (Please select one response.)

Much safer than gasoline

Safer than gasoline

About as safe as gasoline

Less safe than gasoline

Much less safe than gasoline

Based on your experience so far with the process of fueling the hydrogen vehicle fueling, what are your perceptions of hydrogen fueling safety? (Please select one response.)

Much safer than gasoline

Safer than gasoline

About as safe as gasoline

Less safe than gasoline

Much less safe than gasoline

Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements.

The limited availability of hydrogen fueling stations would greatly impact my decision to purchase a FCHV Highlander for my daily travel. (Please select one response.)

The ability to use the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane with an FCHV Highlander would greatly impact my decision to purchase a FCHV for my daily travel. (Please select one response.)

I would value a $2,000 tax credit for an FCHV Highlander purchase that I would receive when I filed my taxes about the same as I would value a $2,000 dealer rebate given when I purchased the vehicle. (Please select one response.)

The following questions are designed to obtain a sense as to how you value or discount the features of the Hydrogen-powered FCHV Highlander.

The base model of the 2008 Toyota Highlander traditional hybrid costs about $34,000. For the following questions, assume that you have a choice to buy one of only two vehicles. You can buy the Highlander hybrid (which drives similarly to the FCHV Highlander but has about a 400 mile range) or you can buy the hydrogen powered FCHV Highlander.

Please make the following assumptions when answering this question:

1) You only have two choices: a) the Highlander hybrid or b) the hydrogen FCHV Highlander that you are driving. There are no other vehicles available for you to purchase.
2) The cost of hydrogen is about half that of gasoline on a per-mile basis.
3) You would only have access to two or three hydrogen stations within 15 miles of your home, two or three in other parts of the Bay Area, and two or three in the Sacramento area.

At each price differential, we would like you to indicate the degree to which you think you would opt for the FCHV Highlander over the traditional hybrid Highlander. This is a matter of opinion. The price differential is simply the difference in purchase price between the two vehicles.

A positive price difference means the FCHV Highlander is more expensive than the hybrid Highlander and a negative price difference means the FCHV Highlander is cheaper than the hybrid model. Please choose only one response for each row in the table below.

For the following question, assume that every gasoline station carries hydrogen. The FCHV Highlander is otherwise the same as the one you have been driving. As you have done before, please indicate how different price differentials would affect the probability of you buying the FCHV Highlander. Assume that:

1) The Highlander Hybrid costs $34,000.
2) The cost of hydrogen is about half that of gasoline on a per-mile basis.
3) Every gasoline station has hydrogen.
4) You only have these two choices: FCHV Highlander or Highlander Hybrid.
5) The Highlander FCHV that you would purchase is the same as the one that you are driving except that it’s driving range on a tank of fuel is 300 miles instead of 130 to 140 miles.