Dynamic Social Disparities in the U.S. Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure System

Equitable access to public electric vehicle (EV) chargers is crucial for reducing barriers and promoting adoption. Although recent studies have examined social disparities of charging accessibility in the United States, they usually focus on a single year, with long-term trends remaining unclear. This study proposes a novel framework to examine long-term changes in social disparities in access to EV chargers by charger type, gender, race, and age, using two-part generalized additive models and nationwide data from 2014 to 2023. Our results indicate that charger access tends to be higher in counties with above-median household income, larger populations, and greater shares of multi-unit dwellings. Counties with higher proportions of males, Asian, Black Americans, and younger adults generally experience lower charging accessibility. After 2020, Asian Americans saw improved accessibility, while Black Americans still faced widening disparities. These findings underscore the need for equitable strategies to reduce long-term charging inequities.

Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment