How Does Electric Vehicle Adoption Affect Air Quality for Low-Income Households?

Keywords: electric vehicles, air pollution, environmental justice
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Many local governments and advocacy organizations are promoting the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in part to improve air quality. Additionally, the federal Justice40 initiative aims to have 40% of the benefits from investments in clean energy flow to disadvantaged communities. In this project, we analyze the impact of EV adoption scenarios on air pollutants in Maricopa County, Arizona, among the most polluted areas in the U.S., ranking 5th for ozone pollution and 13th for fine particulates. We focus on air quality impacts for low-income and minority communities, which are disproportionately burdened due to their proximity to highways and industrial zones. EVs may have mixed effects for these communities; emissions reductions near high traffic roads and distribution centers may be offset by increased emissions near natural gas power plants, which also tend to be sited near vulnerable communities.

We have developed an integrated set of spatially explicit models of EV adoption; vehicle emissions; electricity dispatch and emissions; and air quality overlaid on the location of disadvantaged communities to estimate how the net air quality benefits flow to different communities. In addition, we worked with local stakeholders through interviews and discussions to develop the EV adoption scenarios that are most impactful to evaluate. We find that EV adoption generally reduces emissions in disadvantaged communities. However, some communities are negatively impacted. These findings are sensitive to which vehicles are electrified and when they are charged.