Environmental Sciences & Ecology
; Public Administration
英文摘要:
Company cars have received considerable attention because of their partial tax-exemption and the changes in travel behaviour they stimulate, including car model choices, distances driven, and car ownership patterns. This paper is the first to present evidence on actual transport behaviour change, based on mobility and fuel diaries, and comparing a sample of 624 company cars and 9328 private cars in Germany. Analysis confirms that company cars belong to the more heavily motorized car segments (with an average 97 kW, as opposed to 79 kW of private cars), and are driven more than private cars (24,672 km per year, compared to 12,828 km per year for private cars). Company car benefits also increase average household vehicle numbers by 25%. Results show that it is imperative to distinguish company cars of company owners relative to those driven by employees, as negative externalities increase significantly where company cars are used by the latter. Abolishing company car benefits could significantly reduce emissions from passenger road transport and stimulate change in the country's automotive industries towards a lower-carbon path. As Germany is not currently on track to meet its climate mitigation targets, this would be a timely policy shift.
1.Munich Univ Appl Sci, Munich, Germany 2.Linnaeus Univ, Sch Business & Econ, S-39182 Kalmar, Sweden 3.Lund Univ, Serv Management & Serv Studies, Box 882, S-25108 Helsingborg, Sweden 4.Western Norway Res Inst, POB 163, N-6851 Sogndal, Norway
Recommended Citation:
Metzler, Daniel,Humpe, Andreas,Gossling, Stefan. Is it time to abolish company car benefits? An analysis of transport behaviour in Germany and implications for climate change[J]. CLIMATE POLICY,2019-01-01,19(5):542-555