Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in both the United States as a whole and Connecticut specifically. Electrifying this sector is paramount, yet according to many estimates the country has only about one-tenth the number of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations it will ultimately need. Where should we put the rest? It’s an expensive and high-stakes infrastructure question.
Last year, funded by a Planetary Solutions seed grant, Gillingham’s team began working with Connecticut state officials on a way to determine optimal investments in EV charging infrastructure. Their method, which they aim to complete this year, is informed by forecasting EV demand with geographic specificity and modeling the consequences of different choices of charging infrastructure investment for consumer welfare, emissions, and equity.
This information should provide policy makers with new tools to boost demand for EVs equitably—particularly in communities that haven’t yet shared in the benefits of this new technology.