Abstract

Equitable coverage and reliable operation of electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) are crucial for a just transition to a carbon-free future. Yet, a comprehensive national analysis of public EVCSs across different communities is lacking in the United States. Here, we utilize real-world reviews (n= 470,142) from a user-generated content platform to analyze public EVCSs at the census tract level. We find that disadvantaged communities (DACs) have 64% fewer public EVCSs per capita than non-DACs. This disparity rises to 73% when considering renters in multi-dwelling units. Additionally, EVCS users in DACs and urban areas experience significantly more reliability issues compared to those in non-DACs and rural areas, primarily related to hardware and technical failures. Given the limited access to home charging in DACs and their underserved public infrastructure, these findings highlight critical equity concerns …

Date

June 18, 2025

Authors

Qiao Yu, Tristan Que, Lara J Cushing, Gregory Pierce, Ke Shen, Mayank Kejriwal, Yuan Yao, Yifang Zhu

Journal

Nature Communications

Volume

16

Issue

1

Pages

1-13

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group