Assessing justice in California’s transition to electric vehicles

Abstract

Summary: Passenger vehicles are an essential form of transportation and contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and criteria air pollution. The health and climate effects associated with their use disproportionately impact low-income communities and people of color. A shift from conventional vehicles to zero-emission vehicles is essential to meet climate targets and reduce inequities. The transition to clean transportation is an opportunity to uplift underserved and marginalized communities while building a sustainable transportation system. We assess justice in California’s transition to electric passenger vehicles by analyzing publicly available data on electric vehicle adoption and rebate use to measure justice in three areas: distribution of electric vehicles, allocation of state incentives, and the social and historical context of redlining. We find electric vehicle adoption and rebate use are lower in low-income and Latino-majority ZIP codes and in formerly redlined neighborhoods, indicating that California’s electric vehicle transition has not been just thus far.

Keywords

• Energy resources
• Energy policy
• Energy management