Development of an Open-Access Tool to Support Equity-Focused Local Electric Vehicle Investment Planning

Research Team: Kenneth Paul Alex (lead), Dan Kammen, and Ted Lamm

UC Campus(es): UC Berkeley

Problem Statement: California policymakers have set ambitious targets to transition from gasoline-powered vehicles to electric vehicles. However, the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure remains spotty and access in priority communities remains limited. With federal and state programs offering hundreds of millions of dollars for electric vehicle charging and associated investment (and private developers looking to invest in high-traffic areas) local governments need to proactively identify locations that are responsive to community needs, build connectivity, meet grant criteria, and more. However, they largely lack the technical and staff capacity to conduct this exercise iteratively, publicly, and in a manner that centers equity and local mobility priorities.

Project Description: This project will supported continued development of a comprehensive, open-access mapping framework and tool that enables users (such as local agencies, community stakeholders, developers) to identify areas for electric vehicle infrastructure siting and investment that will best serve the needs of local communities. Specifically, this project will build upon a demonstration tool the project team already developed for two California cities (available at: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/clee/ev-equity/mapping/) by: 1) refining the approach to integrating “priority” and “feasibility” data across different geographic scales; 2) incorporating additional data on equity, grid capacity and interconnection, and other factors; 3) expanding the tool to state and national geographies; and 4) developing a user-friendly tool interface and user guide.

Status: In Progress

Budget: $100,000