There is a need to address context-specific barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption for disadvantaged populations in order to equitably and effectively decarbonize passenger vehicle transportation. Differences in EV adoption rates are of concern when they reflect barriers to adoption, signaling a diminished ability to adapt to a clean energy transition, and when they disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. Prior research shows that EV owners are currently more likely to be high income and white when compared with other vehicle owners. A critical obstacle faced by people with fewer economic resources is a lack of access to home charging, which brings significant benefits in terms of convenience and cost. People living in multifamily and attached homes, older homes, and renters face unique barriers to installing home chargers, although little is known about the effects of these home charging barriers on EV adoption or about the additional costs of installing home chargers in these types of homes. This project evaluates the relationships between EV adoption, home charger installation, and housing characteristics as well as the costs of home charging installation for homes of different types in the City of Burlington, Vermont. The project also investigates the sociodemographic makeup of residents living in homes with greater barriers to home charging using national data. Results from this research can be used to inform policies targeting increased EV adoption for populations that currently face greater barriers due to their limited access to home charging.
