EV Charging Station Accessibility in North Carolina’s Triangle Region: A Case Study

Keywords: Electric Vehicles, Accessibility, Equity, Environmental Justice, Transportation
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 2/26/2022 08:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/26/2022 09:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 16

Abstract

Well allocated public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are a necessity for mass transportation electrification. Even though 80% of charging in the United States is conducted at home-based chargers, not every potential EV adopter has access to charging outlets at their residence. In this research, we consider the present-day allocation of public charging stations in the Raleigh-Durham-Cary Combined Statistical Area of North Carolina through a constraints-based potential accessibility measure. We model multiple scenarios of accessibility using network-derived travel times, vehicle ownership, home ownership, and time restrictions. These accessibility calculations are compared against socioeconomic variables derived from parcel aggregations and census data to determine if certain populations have statistically significant differences in public charging access. The Raleigh-Durham region has seen expansive growth in recent decades, and has the most established electric vehicle charging network in the state. Despite this growth, studies from the West Coast have demonstrated that there are often equity issues in charging station placement even in areas with more infrastructure development. Limited research has shown that rural communities have less charging accessibility than urban areas, and even within urban areas, charging often clusters based on factors such as income and race/ethnicity. If society is going to realize the benefits of transportation electrification, then charging station accessibility must be allocated with socially just accessibility considerations. This research, therefore, is conceived as a framework by which communities can better plan for and accommodate the fair and accessible placement of EV charging using relatively simple calculations and tools.