Towards Equitable Electric Vehicle (EV) Adoption: A Structural Framework and Empirical Analysis
Open AccessTransportation plays a crucial role in people's daily lives, but the heavy reliance on fossil fuel-based transportation systems has resulted in an enormous amount of greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions are major contributors to climate change, resulting in environmental degradation and posing significant health and well-being risks, particularly for low-income populations, underrepresented communities, and communities of color. Recognizing the urgency of addressing this issue, the global society has placed a high priority on decarbonizing various sectors, with transportation being a critical focus area. To achieve this goal, it is imperative to transition from gas-powered vehicles to zero-emission vehicles, represented by electric vehicles (EVs). However, the widespread adoption of EVs is hindered by factors such as the high cost of ownership, limited charging infrastructure, and disparity in incentives and accessibility. Existing literature reviews revealed that policies and regulations aimed at promoting EV adoption have primarily focused on specific target consumers, leaving other communities with limited access. Additionally, the equity aspects surrounding the EV ecosystem and the interrelationship between various equity indicators have received limited attention so far and require further consideration. To fill this void, this thesis proposes to identify key EV equity indicators and their corresponding factors from various sources and develop an equity relationship framework to evaluate EV equity. Further, by matching the electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) data to the US census data, we run numerical analyses to assess the availability and accessibility of EV charging facilities in different communities in space. Numerous managerial and policy recommendations related to EV infrastructure and programs in the field are reviewed for their feasibility, efficiency, effectiveness for the disadvantaged populations. Finally, we point out the limitations in the current practices for promoting equitable EV adoption and provide suggestions for future work.
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