David Rapson

About

Professor David Rapson is an economist specializing in industrial organization, energy markets, and environmental economics. His research integrates economic theory and econometrics to study electricity pricing, transportation decarbonization, oil and gas markets, and sanctions. He employs field experiments and quasi-experimental methods to analyze how incentives and information influence consumer behavior and technology adoption. His work focuses on energy and environmental policy, with recent publications addressing topics such as the impact of oil embargoes, electric vehicle adoption, and transportation decarbonization. Professor Rapson holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Boston University, an M.A. from Queen's University, and an A.B. from Dartmouth College. He teaches Principles of Microeconomics, Energy Economics, and Industrial Organization. His research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, J-PAL, and Peninsula Clean Energy, among others.

Research topics

• Economics
• Computer Science
• Environmental economics
• Business
• Engineering
• Market economy
• Environmental science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Electrical engineering
• Econometrics

Selected publications

• Subsidizing low- and middle-income adoption of electric vehicles: Quasi-experimental evidence from California

  Journal of Public Economics · 2022 · 111 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• The Economics of Electric Vehicles

  Review of Environmental Economics and Policy · 2023 · 83 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  We examine the private and public economics of electric vehicles (EVs) and discuss when market forces can be expected to produce the optimal path of EV adoption. Privately, consumer cost savings from EVs vary. Some experience net benefits from choosing gasoline cars, even after accounting for EV subsidies. Publicly, we survey the literature documenting the external costs and benefits of EVs and highlight several themes for optimal policy design. These include (1) promoting regional variation in…

  PublisherDOI

• Low Energy: Estimating Electric Vehicle Electricity Use

  AEA Papers and Proceedings · 2021 · 53 citations

  We provide the first at-scale estimate of electric vehicle (EV) home charging. Previous estimates are based on conflicting surveys or are extrapolated from a small, unrepresentative sample of households with dedicated EV meters. We combine billions of hourly electricity meter measurements with address-level EV registration records from California households, including 64,000 EV owners. The average EV increases overall household load by 2.9 kilowatt-hours per day, well under half the amount assum…

  PublisherDOI

• Future Paths of Electric Vehicle Adoption in the United States: Predictable Determinants, Obstacles, and Opportunities

  Environmental and Energy Policy and the Economy · 2022 · 47 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  This paper identifies and quantifies major determinants of future electric vehicle demand to inform widely held aspirations for market growth. Our model compares three channels that will affect electric vehicle market share in the United States from 2020 to 2035: intrinsic (no-subsidy) electric vehicle demand growth, net-of-subsidy electric vehicle cost declines (e.g., batteries), and government subsidies. Geographic variation in preferences for sedans and light trucks highlights the importance…

  PublisherDOI

• Energy Prices and Electric Vehicle Adoption

  National Bureau of Economic Research · 2022-03-01 · 41 citations

  reportOpen accessSenior author

  This paper presents evidence that gasoline prices have a larger effect on demand for electric vehicles (EVs) than electricity prices in California. We match a spatially-disaggregated panel dataset of monthly EV registration records to detailed records of gasoline and electricity prices in California from 2014-2017, and use these to estimate the effect of energy prices on EV demand. Two distinct empirical approaches (panel fixed-effects and a utility-border discontinuity) yield remarkably similar…

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Erich Muehlegger

  University of California, Davis

  36 shared

• Christopher R. Knittel

  National Bureau of Economic Research

  30 shared

• Catherine Wolfram

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  21 shared

• Kenneth Gillingham

  20 shared

• Laurence J. Kotlikoff

  17 shared

• James Bushnell

  15 shared

• Fiona Burlig

  University of Chicago

  14 shared

• Katrina Jessoe

  University of California, Davis

  9 shared

Awards & honors

• National Science Foundation, 2021
• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL ), 2021
• Peninsula Clean Energy, 2021

Similar researchers at University of California, Davis

• Giovanni Perih-69
• Katherine Erikssonh-66
• Oscar Jordah-54