Jonn Axsen

Education

• BBA, Business Administration, First class honours, Simon Fraser University
• MRM, Resource Management, Simon Fraser University
• PhD, Transportation Technology and Policy, University of California, Davis

Updated CV (October, 2024)

Biography

Jonn Axsen employs interdisciplinary and mixed-method research approaches to identify solutions for today’s enormous environmental challenge: mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, of which almost a quarter arise from road transportation. His research demonstrates that such solutions require an understanding of individual decision-making, social systems and culture, technology development, and public policy. As Professor and Director of the Sustainable Transportation Research Team (START) at SFU, he applies a rigorous and comprehensive perspective to provide policy-relevant insights into sustainable transportation technology and practices, including electric vehicles and alternative forms of mobility, as well as other sustainable energy and environmental applications.

Professor Axsen was elected a member of the Royal Society of Canada in 2021. He has authored over 85 peer-reviewed journal articles since 2009, more than 30 of which have been cited more than 100 times each. With an h-index of 55 and over 10,000 citations, he places among the top five most-cited “sustainable transportation” scholars globally (Google Scholar, Oct 2024). He publishes in top field journals and high-impact cross-disciplinary journals such as Nature Climate Change, Nature Energy, Nature Sustainability, and Environmental Research Letters. Dr. Axsen was recently identified as the #3 top contributor to Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment in its 25 year history, a top journal in his field.

Professor Axsen is Senior Associate Editor of Energy Research & Social Science (Impact Factor = 8.5) and serves on the US National Academies’ Transportation Research Board. Professor Axsen has also published dozens of stakeholder reports and delivered over 100 academic presentations.

His research program has secured over $2 million in funding from national and international agencies and sponsors, including SSHRC, Translink, Tesla, NRCan, and the Pacific Institute of Climate Solutions (PICS). He regularly collaborates with stakeholders such as the United Nations (UN), Transport Canada, the David Suzuki Foundation, Clean Energy Canada, Environmental Defence, and Equiterre.

See his CV for a full list of publications. A selection of recent and notable publications includes:

2024

• Gauer, V., J. Axsen, Z. Long, and E. Dutschke (2024). Is a robot car still a car? Consumer perceptions of fully automated vehicles and automobility in Canada, Energy Research & Social Science, 113, 103558.
  
• Aubertin, A., J. Axsen, S. Gunster (2024). Electric vehicles for climate, a green economy, or independence? Comparing policy discourse in newspapers across three Canadian provinces, Energy Research & Social Science, 108, 103353, 1-18.
  
• Axsen, J., and J. Pickrell-Barr (2024). What drives fleets? Organizations' perceived barriers and motivators for alternative-fuel vehicles, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 132, 104220, 1-16.
  
• Bhardwaj, C., and J. Axsen, (In Press). How Stringent Should Vehicle Emission Standards be? Simulating impacts on GHG emissions, zero-emissions vehicle sales and cost-effectiveness, Canadian Public Policy/Analyse de politiques, 50 (1), March 2024, 149-170.

2023

• Axsen, J and M. Wolinetz (2023). What does a low-carbon fuel standard contribute to a policy mix? An interdisciplinary review of evidence and research gaps, Transport Policy, 133, 54-63.
  
• Axsen, J., K. Kurani, and B. Sovacool (2023). Consumer response to transformative transportation innovations: Advancing the reflexive participant approach to survey research, 18, 100759, Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives.
• Bhardwaj, C., J. Axsen, and C. Crawford (2023). Simulating long-term emissions from private automated vehicles under climate policy, Transportation Research Part D, 118, 103665.
• Gauer, V., J. Axsen, E. Dütschke, Z. Long (In Press). Who Is More Attached to Their Car? Comparing Automobility Engagement and Response to Shared, Automated and Electric Mobility in Canada and Germany, Energy Research & Social Science, 99, 103048, 1-16.
  
• McBain, S. J. Axsen, and C. Wilson (2023). Function, symbolism or society? Exploring consumer interest in electric and shared mobility, Transportation Research Part D, 118, 103675, 1-16.

2022

• Axsen, J. (2022). Deep decarbonization technologies for sustainable road mobility, Prepared for the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC), November 2022.
• Axsen, J., Bhardwaj, C. and C. Crawford (2022). Comparing policy pathways to achieve 100% zero-emissions vehicle sales by 2035, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 112, 103488, 1-20.
• Bhardwaj, C., J. Axsen, D. McCollum (2022). Which “second-best” climate policies are best? Simulating cost-effective policy mixes for passenger vehicles, Resource & Energy Economics, 70, 101319, 1-22.
• Axsen, J. and Z. Long (2022). Sport utility vehicles and willingness-to-downsize: A mixed-method exploration of functional, symbolic, and societal consumer perceptions in Canada, Energy Research & Social Science, 92, 102776, 1-17.
  
• Axsen, J., S. Hardman, and A. Jenn, (2022). What do we know about zero-emission vehicle mandates? Environmental Science & Technology, 56, 12, 7553-7563.
• Long, Z., and J. Axsen (2022). Who will use new mobility technologies? Exploring demand for shared, electric, and automated vehicles in three Canadian metropolitan regions, Energy Research & Social Science, 88, 102506.

2021

• Axsen, J. M. Wolinetz (2021). Taxes, tolls and ZEV zones for climate: Synthesizing insights on effectiveness, efficiency, equity, acceptability and implementation, Energy Policy, 156, 112457.
  
• Long, Z, Kitt, S., J. Axsen, (2021). Who supports which low-carbon transport policies? Characterizing heterogeneity among Canadian citizens, Energy Policy, 155, 112302.
  
• Bhardwaj, C., J. Axsen, D. McCollum (2021). Simulating automakers’ response to zero emissions vehicle regulation, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 94: 102789.
  
• Kitt, S., J. Axsen, Z. Long, K. Rhodes (2021). Trust in citizen acceptance of climate policy: Comparing perceptions of government competence, integrity and value similarity, Ecological Economics, 183, 106958.

A few notable articles from before 2021:

1. A 2020 perspective piece on the policies needed to decarbonize road transportation globally (in Nature Climate Change)
2. A 2019 synthesis of research on users of electric, shared and automated vehicles (one of the most downloaded in the journal).
3. A 2018 review of "best practices" for social science research methods (most cited article in the journal).
4. A 2018 review of evidence for electric vehicle charging infrastructure (one of the most cited article in the journal).
5. A 2012 exploration of the role of social influence in electric vehicle adoption (award-winning, via the International Transport Forum).