Research

I lead interdisciplinary research that explores relationships between technological change and factors that shape it, such as consumer behavior, market dynamics, and policy. I apply a systems engineering perspective to better understand these relationships and to inform policy, with an emphasis on accelerating transitions to cleaner technologies. I have expertise in choice modeling, survey design, programming in R, China, and the global electric vehicle industry.

View my full CV here

Google Scholar ORCID Research Gate


Underline indicates advisee; * graduate student, **undergraduate student


Refereed (Peer-Reviewed) Journal Articles

  1. Jenn, A., Chakraborty, A., Hardman, S., Hoogland, K., Sugihara, C., Tal, G., Helveston, J.P., Rich, J., Jochem, P., Sprei, F., Williams, B, Axsen, J., Figenbaum, E., Plötz, P., Pontes, J., Refa, N. (2025) “Supply-side challenges and research needs on the road to 100% zero-emissions vehicle sales” Progress in Energy. DOI: 10.1088/2516-1083/ada199
  1. Hardman, S., Chakraborty, A., Hoogland, K., Sugihara, C., Helveston, J.P., Jensen, A.F., Jenn, A., Joche, P., Plötz, P., Sprei, F., Williams, B., Axsen, J., Figenbaum, E., Pontes, J., Tal, G., Refa, N. (2025) “Demand-side challenges and research needs on the road to 100% zero-emissions vehicle sales” Progress in Energy. DOI: 10.1088/2516-1083/ad9f1a
Article has an altmetric score of 1
  1. *Kaplan, Leah, **Nurullaeva, L., & Helveston, J.P. (2024) “Modeling the Operational and Labor Costs of Autonomous Robotaxi Services” Transport Policy. DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2024.10.010
  1. *Roberson, Laura A., *Pantha, S., & Helveston, J.P. (2024) “Battery-Powered Bargains? Assessing Electric Vehicle Resale Value in the United States” Environmental Research Letters. DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ad3fce
Article has an altmetric score of 39
  1. *Kaplan, Leah R. & Helveston, John P. (2023) “Undercutting Transit? Exploring potential competition between autonomous vehicles and public transportation in the U.S.” Transportation Research Record. DOI: 10.1177/03611981231208976
Article has an altmetric score of 8
  1. *Zhao, L., **Ottinger, E., Yip, A., & Helveston, J.P. (2023) “Quantifying electric vehicle mileage in the United States” Joule. 7, 1–15. DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2023.09.015
Article has an altmetric score of 166
  1. *Zhao, L., Szajnfarber, Z., Broniatowski, D.A., & Helveston, J.P. (2023) “Using conjoint analysis to incorporate heterogeneous preferences into multimodal transit trip simulations” Systems Engineering. DOI: 10.1002/sys.21670
  1. Helveston, John P. (2023) “logitr: Fast Estimation of Multinomial and Mixed Logit Models with Preference Space and Willingness to Pay Space Utility Parameterizations” Journal of Statistical Software. 105(10), 1-37. DOI: 10.18637/jss.v105.i10
  1. Helveston, J.P., He, G., & Davidson, M.R. (2022) “Quantifying the cost savings of global solar photovoltaic supply chains” Nature. 612 (7938), pg. 83-87. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05316-6
Article has an altmetric score of 262
  1. *Roberson, Laura A. & Helveston, John P. (2022) “Not all subsidies are equal: Measuring preferences for electric vehicle financial incentives” Environmental Research Letters. 17(084003). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac7df3
Article has an altmetric score of 295
  1. Szajnfarber, Z., **Groover, J.A., Wei, Z., Broniatowski, D.A., Chernicoff, W., & Helveston, J.P. (2021) “Evolvability Analysis Framework: Adding Transition Path and Stakeholder Diversity to Infrastructure Investment Decisions” Systems Engineering. 25(1):35-50. DOI: 10.1002/sys.21600
Article has an altmetric score of 7
  1. Feinberg, F., Bruch, E., Braun, M., Hemenway Falk, B., Fefferman, N., Feit, E.M., Helveston, J.P., Larremore, D., McShane, B.B., Patania, A., & Small, M.L. (2020) “Choices in networks: a research framework” Marketing Letters. 31(4), 349-359. DOI: 10.1007/s11002-020-09541-9
  1. *Roberson, Laura A. & Helveston, John P. (2020) “Electric vehicle adoption: can short experiences lead to big change?” Environmental Research Letters. 15(0940c3). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/aba715
Article has an altmetric score of 36
  1. Helveston, John P. & Nahm, Jonas (2019) “China’s key role in scaling low-carbon energy technologies” Science. 366(6467), pg. 794-796. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaz1014
Article has an altmetric score of 320
  1. Helveston, J.P., Seki, S., Min, J., **Fairman, E., Boni, A.A., Michalek, J.J., & Azevedo, I. (2019) “Choice at the Pump: Measuring Preferences for Lower-Carbon Combustion Fuels” Environmental Research Letters. 14(8). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ab2bd2
Article has an altmetric score of 2
  1. Helveston, J.P., Wang, Y., Karplus, V.J., & Fuchs, E.R.H. (2019) “Institutional Complementarities: The Origins of Experimentation in China’s Plug-in Electric Vehicle Industry” Research Policy. 48(1), pg. 206-222. DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2018.08.006
Article has an altmetric score of 32
  1. Helveston, J.P., Feit, E.M., & Michalek, J.J. (2018) “Pooling Stated and Revealed Preference Data in the Presence of Endogeneity” Transportation Research Part B: Methodological. 109, pg. 70-89. DOI: 10.1016/j.trb.2018.01.010
Article has an altmetric score of 1
  1. Helveston, J.P., Liu, Y., Feit, E.M., Fuchs, E.R.H., Klampfl, E., & Michalek, J.J. (2015) “Will subsidies drive electric vehicle adoption? Measuring consumer preferences in the U.S. and China” Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice. 73, 96–112. DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2015.01.002
Article has an altmetric score of 19

Refereed Articles in Conference Proceedings

  1. *Zhao, Lujin, Mann, M., & Helveston, J.P. (2025) “Spatial Disparities in Electric Vehicle Availability in the United States” National Academies Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C. Jan. 07.
  1. *Hu, Pingfan, Tarroja, B., Dean, M., Forrest, K., Hittinger, E., Jenn, A. & Helveston, J.P. (2024) “Measuring Consumer Willingness to Participate in BEV Smart Charging Programs” 2024 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference (VPPC). 07-10 October. DOI: 10.1109/VPPC63154.2024.10755299
  1. *Kaplan, Leah, Szajnfarber, Z., & Helveston, John P. (2023) “Shifting, Not Shrinking? Exploring Labor Roles in Traditional and Automated Door-to-Door Transportation Service” Proceedings of the IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2023. New Orleans, LA, USA, May 20-23, 2023, 3125.
  1. *Kaplan, Leah & Helveston, John P. (2023) “Undercutting Transit? Exploring potential competition between autonomous vehicles and public transportation in the U.S.” National Academies Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C. Jan. 09.
  1. Helveston, John P. (2022) “The Rise of Chinese Leadership in the Plug-in Electric Vehicle Industry” Chinese Industrial Policy: Sectors and Resources. UCSD Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, San Diego, CA. Sep. 30.
  1. Helveston, John P. (2022) “The cbcTools Package: Tools for Designing and Testing Choice-Based Conjoint Surveys in R” Sawtooth Software Conference. Orlando, FL. May 6.
  1. Helveston, John P. (2021) “Obtaining Willingness to Pay Estimates from Preference Space and Willingness to Pay Space Utility Models” Sawtooth Software Conference. San Antonio, TX. Apr. 19.
  1. Liang, Z., Li, D., Fu, X., Beltekian, D., Helveston, J.P. (2018) “Why is Siemens establishing its robotics R&D centers in China? A case study on the Siemens industrial robot project” IEEE International Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (TEMS-ISIE). Beijing, PRC, pp. 1-9. DOI: 10.1109/TEMS-ISIE.2018.8478558
  1. Helveston, J.P., Wang, Y., Karplus, V.J., & Fuchs, E.R.H. (2016) “Up, Down, and Sideways: Innovation in China and the Case of Plug-in Electric Vehicles” Academy of Management Annual Meeting. Anaheim, CA. Aug. 5.
  1. Helveston, J.P., Liu, Y., Feit, E.M., Fuchs, E.R.H., Klampfl, E., & Michalek, J.J. (2014) “Will subsidies drive electric vehicle adoption? Measuring consumer preferences in the U.S. and China” National Academies Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C. Jan. 13.

Working Papers & Papers Under Review

  1. Forsythe, Connor R., Arteaga, C., & Helveston, J.P. (2024) “The Mixed Aggregate Preference Logit (MAPL) Model: A Machine Learning Approach to Modeling Unobserved Heterogeneity in Discrete Choice Analysis” Working paper.
  1. *Kaplan, Leah, Szajnfarber, Z., & Helveston, John P. (2024) “Labor Transformations in Taxi Services by AI-Enabled Autonomous Vehicles” Under review.
  1. *Zhao, Lujin, Mann, M., & Helveston, J.P. (2025) “Spatial Disparities in Electric Vehicle Availability in the United States” Working paper.
  1. *Hu, Pingfan, Tarroja, B., Dean, M., Forrest, K., Hittinger, E., Jenn, A. & Helveston, J.P. (2025) “Measuring Consumer Willingness to Participate in BEV Smart Charging Programs” Working paper.
  1. Murphree, M., Helveston, J.P., & Breznitz, D. (2024) “Intellectual Property as a Production Input: Expanding Theories of Institutional Change and Profiting from Innovation” Under review.

Magazine Publications

  1. *Kaplan, Leah, Szajnfarber, Z., & Helveston, John P. (2023) “Driverless – but not humanless – vehicle systems” IISE Magazine. November.
  1. Helveston, John P. (2021) “Why the US Trails the World in Electric Vehicles” Issues in Science and Technology. 37, no. 2 (Winter 2021).
  1. Helveston, John P. (2017) “Perspective: Navigating an Uncertain Future for US Roads” Issues in Science and Technology. 34, no. 1 (Fall 2017).

Books and Book Chapters

  1. Helveston, John P. and **Lola Nurullaeva (2024) “Yet Another R Dataviz (YARD) Book”
  1. Helveston, John P. (2022) “Programming for Analytics in R.”
  1. Ren, Justin Z. & Helveston, John P. (2019) “Measuring Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Among Cities: A Multi-Dimensional Approach” Melting the ICE: Lessons from China and the West in the Transition from the Internal Combustion Engine to Electric Vehicles. Ed. Fox-Penner, P., Ren, Z.J., & Jermain, D.O.. Harvard University Press.
  1. Hatch, Jennifer & Helveston, J.P. (2019) “Brookline, MA: A Small Town seeking to lead in a Broader EV Charging Network” Melting the ICE: Lessons from China and the West in the Transition from the Internal Combustion Engine to Electric Vehicles. Ed. Fox-Penner, P., Ren, Z.J., & Jermain, D.O.. Harvard University Press.

Magazine Publications

  1. *Kaplan, Leah, Szajnfarber, Z., & Helveston, John P. (2023) “Driverless – but not humanless – vehicle systems” IISE Magazine. November.
  1. Helveston, John P. (2021) “Why the US Trails the World in Electric Vehicles” Issues in Science and Technology. 37, no. 2 (Winter 2021).
  1. Helveston, John P. (2017) “Perspective: Navigating an Uncertain Future for US Roads” Issues in Science and Technology. 34, no. 1 (Fall 2017).

Opinion Editorials

  1. Helveston, John P., Triolo, P., & Nahm, J. (2024) “The Problem With “Overcapacity” in China’s Automotive Industry” The Wire China.
  1. Helveston, John P. (2023) “Electric Vehicle Owners Are Not Driving Enough—And That’s Bad” Scientific American.
  1. Helveston, J.P., He, G., & Davidson, M.R. (2022) “The Cost of Going Solo in Solar” New Security Beat.
  1. Helveston, John P. (2022) “To boost solar, the US should use more carrots and fewer sticks” The Hill.
  1. Helveston, John P. (2022) “Tariffs won’t build a robust US solar industry” The Hill.

Other

  1. Helveston, John P. (2019) “Podcast: GWU Professor John Helveston on EVs in China” The Future Car: A Siemens Podcast. May 13, 2019.
  1. Helveston, John P. (2019) “China’s looser rules may usher in a new era for EV and AV companies” Axios. February 1, 2019.
  1. Hatch, Jennifer & Helveston, J.P. (2018) “Will Autonomous Vehicles be Electric?” Institute for Sustainable Energy Blog. August 8, 2018.

Theses

  1. Helveston, John P. (2016) “Development and Adoption of Plug-in Electric Vehicles in China: Markets, Policy, and Innovation” Ph.D. Dissertation. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.

Student Theses

  1. Zhao, Lujin (2024) “Journey to a Green Future: Status, Policies and Barriers of Sustainable Transportation with Public Transit and Electric Vehicles in the U.S.” Ph.D. Dissertation. The George Washington University, Washington, DC.
  1. Kaplan, Leah (2024) “AI Behind the Wheel: Work, Economics, and Preferences in the Era of Autonomous Vehicles” Ph.D. Dissertation. The George Washington University, Washington, DC.
  1. Roberson, Laura A. (2024) “Accelerating Electric Vehicle Adoption in the United States: The Impact of Experience, Incentives, and Resale Value” Ph.D. Dissertation. The George Washington University, Washington, DC.

Software

  1. Helveston, John P. (aut, cre, cph), *Pingfan Hu (aut, cre), **Bogdan Bunea (aut, cre) (2024) “surveydown: Markdown-Based Surveys Using Quarto Shiny Documents” R package.
  1. Helveston, John P. (aut, cre, cph) (2021) “logitr: Fast Estimation of Multinomial and Mixed Logit Models with Preference Space and Willingness to Pay Space Utility Parameterizations” R package.
  1. Helveston, John P. (aut, cre, cph) & Aden-Buie, Garrick (aut) (2021) “renderthis: Render Slides To Different Formats” R package.
  1. Helveston, John P. (aut, cre, cph) (2022) “cbcTools: Tools For Designing Choice-Based Conjoint Survey Experiments” R package.

Media Coverage