In Ohio and across the country, higher income, predominantly white communities see EV adoption at disproportionately higher rates than their Black and low-income counterparts.
This also means these communities disproportionately experience the localized benefits of EV adoption, such as reduced air pollution.
To ensure the benefits of transportation electrification are distributed across all communities, it is fundamental to understand the intersection of environment, transportation and race.
Successfully and equitably promoting electric vehicle adoption means developing models and policies for EV adoption and transportation electrification in low-income communities.
There are numerous benefits or EV adoption, for the individual owner and the community at large. These include improved air quality and health outcomes, lower maintenance and refueling costs, and downward pressure on electricity rates for all ratepayers. All stakeholders should prioritize equitable transportation electrification so these benefits can be felt by all.
In pursuit of this goal, EVHybridNoire and Clean Fuels Ohio developed a joint report, “The Cleveland Study,” detailing the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of next-generation mobility in the Greater Cleveland area to identify unmet transportation needs in target communities.
By gathering data on these participants’ experiences with clean transportation, governmental agencies, advocacy organizations and utilities can begin to understand and plan to meet the needs of low-income and Black communities, who have thus far been largely excluded -on an institutional level -from outreach, education and policy efforts.
Audiences from all sectors will benefit from the findings of this report, but governmental agencies and utilities will find specific and actionable content, as they are uniquely situated to extend access to electrification efforts and benefits.
Read the full report authored by EVHybridNoire and Clean Fuels Ohio: HERE
For more information, contact Drive Electric Ohio Director, Brendan Kelley, at Brendan@CleanFuelsOhio.org
