Electric Vehicle Charging and Car Dependency

Abstract

We explore whether policies to promote electric vehicles (EVs) impede efforts to reduce vehicle travel. We hypothesize that the presence of EV chargers reduces respondents' willingness to support (i) the removal of on-street parking to make space for bicycle lanes, and (ii) infill development on surface parking lots. We also hypothesize that the availability of EVs reduces public support for broader vehicle travel reduction policies. Using a randomized survey-based experiment, we find no evidence to support any of these hypotheses.