Abstract
The literature in understanding specific needs for electric vehicle (EV) adoption in communities of color and effective strategies to promote EV diffusion in these communities is limited. We conducted an online survey with 512 respondents in Maryland to explore gaps between People of Color (POC) and White respondents in EV awareness, needs, preferences, barriers, and access to charging infrastructure. Using ordinal regression models controlling for sociodemographic factors, we analyzed the influence of 12 commonly discussed factors on the readiness to adopt EVs. POC respondents are 3.2 times more likely to be affected by charging prices, 2.2 times more likely to be affected by charging station availability, and 2.0 times more likely to be affected by charging times than their White counterparts when considering EV ownership. Our study offers policymakers new insight to address financial, systemic, and infrastructure barriers to EV adoption. Programs encouraging greater adoption of EVs by drivers of color, for example, might increase the availability of low-cost public chargers to address obstacles disproportionately faced in charging availability.
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