research report

Assessing the Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) Model for EV Charging Deployment in California

Publication Date

March 1, 2025

Associated Project

Exploring the Role of Charging-as-a-Service in Overcoming Barriers to Zero-Emission Vehicle Adoption

Author(s)

Angela Yun, Matthew D. Dean

Areas of Expertise

Zero-Emission Vehicles & Low-Carbon Fuels

View research report

Abstract

Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) is an innovative electric vehicle (EV) charging station model that allows customers access to EV chargers through a contract with a provider responsible for design, deployment, operations, and maintenance. Little is known about the motivations and experiences of stakeholders involved in CaaS operations, including providers, electric utilities, and customers. A grey literature review identified CaaS services, provider-described benefits, and utility-provided CaaS and charging services. Then, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 stakeholders to identify critical themes on interactions between stakeholders and the perceptions, challenges, and opportunities of the CaaS business model in addressing charging station needs in California. CaaS may have structural benefits to customer-owned chargers and could improve charger reliability, provide scalable solutions, and reduce customer fatigue with EV charging deployment. However, CaaS faces the same challenges present in the broader charging industry. The findings in this study can guide policymakers in supporting maintenance-related workforce development and streamlining and crafting EV charging infrastructure-informed subsidy programs. Additionally, stakeholders recommend municipal-led EV infrastructure planning and funding for chargers in disadvantaged communities. These interviews clarify the role of CaaS within the EV charging industry and confirm the need for engaged policymaker support to clear roadblocks, support investment, and educate customers about decision-making, which benefits all EV charging stakeholders.

Related Publications

policy brief

Charging-as-a-Service is an Innovative Business Model that Could Help with California’s Vehicle Electrification Goals

blog

How a Charging-As-A-Service Model Could Support and Expand Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

presentation

Advancing procedural equity in environmental benefit programs: Insights from California’s electric vehicle purchase programs

Associated Project

Assessing Procedural Equity in California’s Electric Vehicle Purchase Programs

Areas of Expertise

Zero-Emission Vehicles & Low-Carbon Fuels

policy brief

Americans are Spending More Time at Home and Traveling Less Post-Pandemic

Publication Date

March 1, 2025

Associated Project

Working from Home and Travel: What Does the Future Hold?

Author(s)

Samuel Speroni, Brian D. Taylor

Areas of Expertise

Travel Behavior, Land Use, & the Built Environment

View policy brief

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated an ongoing trend of Americans spending more time at home and less time engaged in activities away from home. This shift in travel behavior has significant implications for cities, transportation systems, economics, and even mental health. To better understand this trend, this research project examined how people in the U.S. spend their time pre-pandemic, mid-pandemic, and post-pandemic using data from the American Time Use Survey, with a focus on work, leisure, and travel behavior.

Related Publications

policy brief

Which Pandemic-Induced Changes in Work and Commuting Are Sticking, and What Does this Mean for Public Policy?

published journal article

Going Nowhere Faster: Did the Covid-19 Pandemic Accelerate the Trend Toward Staying Home?

policy brief

Older Adults are Driving Later in Life, but Getting Out Less

policy brief

Young Adults Aren’t Leaving Home, Socializing, or Traveling as Much Post-Pandemic

op-ed

America is becoming a nation of homebodies

research report

After the Crash: Post-Collision Travel Behavior and Safety Perceptions

Publication Date

March 1, 2025

Associated Project

Exploring the Effects of Experiencing a Road Collision on Future Travel Behavior

Author(s)

Md. Musfiqur Rahman Bhuiya, Jesus M. Barajas, Prashanth Venkataram

Areas of Expertise

Safety, Public Health, & Mobility Justice Travel Behavior, Land Use, & the Built Environment

View research report

Abstract

Post-collision travel behavior and effects on road safety perception are not well-understood. To quantify the ways that crash-related experiences shape the way individuals think about travel, we conducted four focus group discussions with people who had been involved in a crash or near miss or whose relatives or friends experienced one. Several themes emerged from the discussions. Participants changed their travel behavior after experiencing a collision by modifying their travel mode, travel frequency, trip purposes, or vehicle types. Participants developed an enhanced awareness about potentially unsafe behaviors of other road users and road environments and adopted more cautious attitudes toward their own travel. Many participants experienced long-term stress as a result of the incidents, including fear, behavior modification, or travel avoidance. Participants offered several recommendations, including the need for safer infrastructure, improved road user visibility, a shift in media narratives, educational programs, and policy changes focused on land use and transportation synergies.

policy brief

How Are Low-Income Older Adults Traveling, and What Barriers Do They Face? A Case Study from San Diego

Publication Date

March 1, 2025

Associated Project

Examining Transportation Access and Cost Burdens for Affordable Housing Residents in San Diego

Author(s)

Jennifer Nations, Josh Newton, Haven Lo

Areas of Expertise

Safety, Public Health, & Mobility Justice

View policy brief

Abstract

Sixteen percent of adults aged 62 and over in California live in poverty. Older adults also make up a large share of the state’s homeless population, primarily because low-income seniors on fixed incomes are being priced out of housing. These trends are especially concerning as California’s population continues to age. Understanding how housing affordability and access to transportation affect older adults is vital to supporting healthy aging.

The research team surveyed the transportation needs and behaviors of 89 senior affordable housing residents at six sites in San Diego County. These sites varied by county region, public transit proximity, and neighborhood density. Of these respondents, 54 had experienced homelessness and 16 managed chronic health conditions; nearly all were considered very or extremely low-income based on area median income. The research focused on travel for social events and errands since almost none of the respondents worked or attended school.

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policy brief

Affordable Housing Residents in San Diego County Are Generally Satisfied With Transit Service, but There is Room for Improvement

research report

Affordable Housing and Transportation Cost Burdens in San Diego County

presentation

Equity in Transportation Resilience

Associated Project

Exploring Opportunities to Improve Transit Access to Community Resilience Centers for Safety and Evacuation Planning

Areas of Expertise

Public Transit, Shared Mobility, & Active Transportation

Related Publications

preprint journal article

Beyond Infrastructure: Patterns of Environmental Justice and Multi-Level Governance in Greater Los Angeles Transportation and Hazard Planning

op-ed

America is becoming a nation of homebodies

Publication Date

March 10, 2025

Associated Project

Working from Home and Travel: What Does the Future Hold?

Author(s)

Brian D. Taylor, Samuel Speroni

Areas of Expertise

Travel Behavior, Land Use, & the Built Environment

View op-ed

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic did spur more Americans to stay home. But this trend didn’t start or end with the pandemic. Research found that Americans were already spending more and more time at home and less and less time engaged in activities away from home stretching all the way back to at least 2003.

Related Publications

policy brief

Which Pandemic-Induced Changes in Work and Commuting Are Sticking, and What Does this Mean for Public Policy?

published journal article

Going Nowhere Faster: Did the Covid-19 Pandemic Accelerate the Trend Toward Staying Home?

policy brief

Older Adults are Driving Later in Life, but Getting Out Less

policy brief

Young Adults Aren’t Leaving Home, Socializing, or Traveling as Much Post-Pandemic

policy brief

Americans are Spending More Time at Home and Traveling Less Post-Pandemic

policy brief

New Insights from Satellite Data Show the Impact Trucks are Having on Communities in Southern California

Publication Date

March 1, 2025

Associated Project

Pilot Study: Use of High-Resolution Satellite Data to Identify Truck Traffic On the Roads and Near Warehouses Across Multiple Regions in Southern California

Author(s)

Jun Wu

Areas of Expertise

Freight, Logistics, & Supply Chain Intelligent Transportation Systems, Emerging Technologies, & Big Data

View policy brief

Abstract

The rapid growth in freight transportation, particularly heavy-duty trucks, poses significant environmental and public health challenges for communities near major ports and freeways. In areas such as those near the Port of Los Angeles and the I-710 corridor, communities are exposed to elevated levels of air pollution, noise pollution, and associated health risks. Traditional traffic data collection methods primarily concentrate on gathering traffic volume data for freeway segments or smaller areas, often overlooking heavy-duty vehicles across roadway networks and in local communities.

To better understand the environmental impact and spatial distribution of heavy-duty truck traffic, this research employed a deep learning approach to analyze satellite imagery and publicly accessible spatial data. This approach allowed identification and categorization of heavy-duty trucks and shipping containers along critical freight routes and analysis of impacts on adjacent communities.

Related Publications

published journal article

A Deep-Learning Approach to Detect and Classify Heavy-Duty Trucks in Satellite Images

white paper

Electric Vehicle Charge Management Strategies to Benefit the California Electricity Grid

Publication Date

February 1, 2025

Associated Project

Examining the Statewide Impact of Vehicle Grid-Integration Strategies on California’s Future Electricity Grid

Author(s)

Timothy Lipman, Yuhao Yuan

Areas of Expertise

Zero-Emission Vehicles & Low-Carbon Fuels

View white paper

Abstract

Recent studies suggest that there could be significant value to electric vehicle (EV) drivers and power companies from incorporating EVs into the state’s electrical power grids, known as Vehicle-Grid Integration (VGI). However, the benefits could be highly variable depending on the location of the utility territory, vehicle type and battery capacity, the relevant timeframe, and whether the connection involves only managed charging or includes bidirectional charging permitting vehicle to grid (V2G) power transfer, and other factors. Various studies conducted to date generally conclude that the opportunities for V2G could have two to three times the value of managed (or “smart”) charging. However, there are considerable additional complications for grid integration, including variable and site-specific implementation costs. Some savings such as deferring distribution system upgrades can be very significant but are also site-specific and depend on the level of curren and projected demands for electric power on the individual distribution feeder lines, and are therefore difficult to predict.

Related Publications

op-ed

How California can use electric vehicles to solve its blackouts

policy brief

Policy Considerations for Advancing Bidirectional Electric Vehicle Charging in California

presentation

Electric Vehicle-Grid Integration Concepts and Recent Studies

policy brief

Building Transit Safety Surveys that Matter: Lessons from San Francisco Muni

Publication Date

February 1, 2025

Associated Project

Understanding and Addressing Sexual Harassment in San Francisco Transit Environments

Author(s)

Jacob Wasserman, Madeline Brozen, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris

Areas of Expertise

Public Transit, Shared Mobility, & Active Transportation Safety, Public Health, & Mobility Justice

View policy brief

Abstract

Personal safety is a critical issue for transit riders, particularly for women and gender minorities. Safety concerns can stem from experiences of sexual harassment that those who identify as women frequently face. However, most incidents go unreported, leaving transit agencies without information about the magnitude of the problem.

UCLA graduate student researchers worked with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) staff to conduct and analyze a survey on their transit system (Muni) of riders’ experiences with harassment, feelings of safety, and potential policy responses. This effort collected 1,613 responses over a two-week period in February and March 2023 through a partnership with the Transit App, a downloadable service for real-time schedule and location tracking of buses and trains. Similar to previous studies, harassment was common: two-thirds of respondents experienced harassment themselves, and around the same share witnessed it. Safety perceptions declined after dark, with less than a third of respondents feeling safe riding at night. Women and gender minorities experienced greater harassment and lower feelings of safety than their male counterparts. People of color, younger people, and people with disabilities also experienced harassment at higher rates.

Several valuable lessons were learned from the process of developing the survey, fielding it, analyzing its results, and turning those results into policy responses, which can assist other transit agencies to address issues of transit safety and harassment on their systems.

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research report