What’s a Connected Vehicle Worth to You?

NHTSA · 2017 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (full text — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates driver acceptance and willingness to pay (WTP) for Connected Vehicle (CV) technology, aiming to understand the factors influencing adoption rates. CVs utilize dedicated short-range communication to interact with other vehicles and infrastructure, potentially reducing non-impaired driver crashes by 80 percent and alleviating traffic congestion. Unlike passive safety features like airbags, CVs require widespread adoption to maximize safety benefits. The research, conducted by Morgan State University researchers over four years and funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, serves as an intermediate step toward full autonomy, seeking to identify incentives for rapid deployment. The methodology involved a simulation of purchasing decisions where participants were presented with descriptions, images, and realistic pricing for five CV attribute packages: Collision, Driver Assistance, Enhanced Safety, Roadway Information, and Travel Assistance. These packages encompassed nine safety features and two mobility factors. Participants were asked to configure their preferred bundle of attributes. Pricing estimates were derived from existing technology costs from leading manufacturers, adjusted for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure enhancements. The study analyzed demographic variables, including gender, age, education, income, and prior knowledge of CV technology, to determine their impact on WTP and preference selection. Key findings indicate that price is the most critical determinant of adoption. The "Collision Package" received the highest importance score, followed by the "Travel Assistance Package." Middle-income households demonstrated the highest WTP at $2,255. Age significantly influenced valuation, with drivers aged 40–49 willing to pay the most ($2,297), followed by those aged 30–39 ($2,276). Drivers under 30 and over 60 showed the lowest WTP ($1,966). Contrary to typical technology adoption trends, younger individuals were less willing to pay, suggesting middle-aged drivers with greater purchasing power may be early adopters. Education level inversely correlated with WTP; those with less than a bachelor’s degree were willing to pay more, while WTP decreased with higher education attainment and age, implying resistance to technological change among mature drivers. Gender differences revealed distinct preferences: women prioritized safety, fuel consumption, environmental impact, and reliability, whereas men favored exterior design, motor power, status, and comfort. Notably, individuals knowledgeable about CV technology were willing to pay 10.9 percent more ($2,253) than those with no knowledge ($2,032). The study concludes that successful CV deployment requires targeted strategies. Pricing policies should assist low-income populations to accelerate adoption. Educational outreach must specifically target older drivers, particularly women over 50, who are interested in safety but currently lack sufficient information. Increasing awareness among these groups could significantly raise their willingness to pay, thereby facilitating the widespread adoption necessary to realize the full safety and mobility benefits of connected vehicle technology.

Key finding

Drivers' willingness to pay for connected vehicle technology declined with age and education, peaking among 40-to-49-year-olds at 2,297 dollars, while those knowledgeable about the technology would pay 10.9 percent more than uninformed drivers.

Methodology

survey

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (7 acquisition events logged).

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• acceptance adoption