Graduation Date
Fall 2019
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Environmental Systems, option Energy, Technology, and Policy
Committee Chair Name
Kevin Fingerman
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Nicholas Lam
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Arne Jacobson
Third Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Keywords
Electric vehicle equity, Charging infrastructure, Public charger access, Sociodemographic, California, Total ownership cost, Used electric vehicle
Subject Categories
Environmental Systems
Abstract
Widespread electric vehicle (EV) adoption will be crucial for achieving decarbonization goals in California. The inclusion of marginalized populations in this process is important and involves challenges related to their physical access to charging infrastructure and economic access to EVs. Public access electric vehicle chargers (PAEVCs) and upfront financial incentives for EVs may help reduce the barriers affecting these populations. In this thesis, a spatial analysis at the census block group level shows that, in California, PAEVC access is lower in areas with below median household incomes and areas with a black and Hispanic majority. The PAEVC access disparities are even more pronounced in areas with higher rates of renter-occupied housing and multi-unit housing. An economic cost model analysis shows that a used or new battery EV has a comparable, and sometimes lower, ownership cost than an internal combustion engine vehicle. Current incentives in place to encourage the purchase of new EVs can also lead to the cost of ownership of new EVs being lower than used EVs. For populations unable to access home chargers, however, the savings advantage of owning an EV is effectively negated due to the higher operational cost of relying on PAEVCs relative to home chargers. My results suggest that while greater access to PAEVCs may help address a critical barrier to EV uptake in marginalized communities, additional measures that address high operating costs, such as increasing access to the lower cost residential curbside charging, may be needed to make EVs competitive in these communities.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Hsu, Chih-Wei, "Disparities in public charging infrastructure deployment and inequitable electric vehicle ownership cost based on income and race" (2019). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 346.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/346