Benjamin Leard
University Fellow
Benjamin Leard is a university fellow at RFF as well as an assistant professor and faculty fellow at University of Tennessee. He is an environmental economist who focuses his work on transportation policy, climate change, and discrete choice modeling. His recent work involves estimating household preferences for vehicle attributes and evaluating the costs and benefits of fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for light duty vehicles. His work has been published in Science and he has been cited in the Washington Post for his research on consumer demand for autonomous vehicles.
Education
- PhD in applied economics and management, Cornell University, 2014
- BS in mathematics and economics, James Madison University, 2008
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Working Paper — Aug 16, 2022
Should Electric Vehicle Purchase Subsidies Be Linked with Scrappage Requirements?
Should Electric Vehicle Purchase Subsidies Be Linked with Scrappage Requirements?
Working Paper — Aug 25, 2021
How Much Do Consumers Value Fuel Cost Savings? Evidence from the Passenger Vehicle Leasing Market
This paper finds that drivers undervalue lifetime fuel costs when deciding which new cars to buy or lease.
Explainer — Mar 24, 2021
Federal Climate Policy 104: The Transportation Sector
Federal Climate Policy 104: The Transportation Sector
Report — Dec 8, 2020
Progress and Potential for Electric Vehicles to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Progress and Potential for Electric Vehicles to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Report — Jun 14, 2017
How Much Do Consumers Value Fuel Economy and Performance? Evidence from Technology Adoption
How Much Do Consumers Value Fuel Economy and Performance? Evidence from Technology Adoption
Working Paper — Aug 16, 2022
Should Electric Vehicle Purchase Subsidies Be Linked with Scrappage Requirements?
Should Electric Vehicle Purchase Subsidies Be Linked with Scrappage Requirements?
Working Paper — Aug 25, 2021
How Much Do Consumers Value Fuel Cost Savings? Evidence from the Passenger Vehicle Leasing Market
This paper finds that drivers undervalue lifetime fuel costs when deciding which new cars to buy or lease.
Explainer — Mar 24, 2021
Federal Climate Policy 104: The Transportation Sector
Federal Climate Policy 104: The Transportation Sector
Media Highlight — Apr 26, 2022
The Boston Globe: "High Prices at the Pump Hurt. Here's Why They Should Be Even Higher."
RFF research on federal fuel efficiency standards is cited in this op-ed.
Press Release — Aug 25, 2021
Car Consumers Undervalue Fuel Cost Savings, Valuing Present Costs Over Future Gains
Car Consumers Undervalue Fuel Cost Savings, Valuing Present Costs Over Future Gains
Media Highlight — Nov 20, 2020
Here's How Elon Musk Is 'Eating The Lunch' Of Tesla's Rivals
Here's How Elon Musk Is 'Eating The Lunch' Of Tesla's Rivals
Media Highlight — Nov 10, 2020
Combustion Engine Gains Are Not Exhausted
Combustion Engine Gains Are Not Exhausted
Common Resources — Sep 30, 2021
Fuel Economy Standards Will Help Speed the Deployment of Electric Vehicles, But May Not Be Enough to Achieve the 2030 Target
The Biden administration hopes to drastically increase the share of electric vehicles on the road. New fuel economy standards will help, but emissions reductions from efficient gasoline vehicles will far outweigh reductions from new electric vehicles.
Common Resources — Sep 22, 2021
What Should Federal Agencies Assume for How Much Consumers Are Willing to Pay for Fuel Cost Savings?
Government agencies that assess the consequences of fuel economy standards assume that consumers value just the first 30 months of fuel cost savings. Should the agencies reconsider their assumptions?
Common Resources — Sep 8, 2021
How Much and How Quickly Will Biden’s Proposed Fuel Economy Standards Reduce Emissions?
President Joe Biden’s proposed fuel economy standards are more ambitious than those of his predecessors, but the regulations might only modestly reduce emissions from passenger vehicles.
Resources Magazine — May 20, 2021
Federal Climate Policy Toolkit: Transportation
The primary existing policies and policy options for reducing emissions from the transportation sector include renewable fuel standards and low-carbon fuel standards, programs that promote the use of alternative-fuel vehicles, and more.