Electric vehicle (EV) chargers are easier to find in whiter, wealthier neighborhoods nationwide, per analysis from Axios‘ Erin Davis, Alex Fitzpatrick and Joann Muller.
Why it matters: Charging inequities threaten to limit who benefits from the transition away from internal-combustion engines, such as cleaner air and lower long-term costs.
By the numbers: Majority-white tracts are about 1.4 times as likely as majority-non-white tracts to have a charger.
- Tracts with chargers are about 1.14 times as wealthy as those without them, per our analysis of the 35 U.S. cities with the highest share of EV sales nationwide.
- In Philadelphia, for example, majority-white tracts are 3.9 times as likely to have a charging station. In Chicago and New York, they’re 2.8 and 2.6 times as likely, respectively.
Yes, but: Inequities are less pronounced elsewhere. In San Francisco, Dallas and Portland, Oregon, for instance, chargers are about as common in majority-white tracts as they are in other neighborhoods.
Reality check: Charging is only one roadblock to EV equity. Vehicle price is also a major concern.