Greener Roads for All: Making EVs Work for Every Community

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more common, but we need to ask: Who really benefits from this change? While EVs are praised as the future of clean transportation, not everyone has the same access to them. That’s where the Equitable EV Action Plan Framework comes in—The Greenlining Institute, Forth, and the TEEM Community of Practice partnered with the UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment (CLEE) on developing the Equitable EV Action Plan Framework to make sure that historically disadvantaged communities aren’t left out as we move toward greener transportation.

CLEE started the EV Equity Initiative to develop tools for local governments to play a leading role in ensuring equity through the coming EV transition. The Equitable EV Action Plan Framework is a central part of this effort, gathering examples from equity-oriented local EV leadership from across the country and providing a template for action.

Many low-income neighborhoods and communities of color deal with more pollution from cars and trucks, leading to health problems like asthma. EVs can help by reducing pollution, but these communities often can’t afford them, don’t have enough charging stations nearby, or miss out on financial help. The Equitable EV Action Plan Framework provides concrete steps to address these issues by making EVs more affordable, easier to access, and supporting community involvement.

Key Solutions for Community-Centered EV Adoption:

• Lower EV Costs: Government and industry leaders must expand rebates, subsidies, and financial assistance for low- and moderate-income households.
• Expand Charging Infrastructure: Investments should focus on apartment complexes, public transit stops, and community spaces in underserved areas.
• Support Workforce Training: Programs should create career pathways in EV manufacturing, maintenance, and infrastructure for underrepresented communities.
• Electrify Public Transit: Beyond private EV ownership, electrifying buses, school transportation, and rideshare programs ensures cleaner air and lower costs for all.
• Community Engagement: Trusted local organizations can educate residents on EV benefits and advocate for better transportation options.

Given the specific work at Sol Nation, the North Carolina Justice Center, and other members of our state cohort, we are particularly drawn to the way that the framework highlights meaningful community engagement processes so that planning benefits from active participation in decision-making by disadvantaged communities, older adults, people with disabilities and the community at large. Our organizations are also very interested in supporting residential charging for apartment buildings and other multi-family housing communities as well as the expansion of public charging infrastructure at curbsides, community centers, parks, libraries, and recreational facilities.

We urge North Carolinians to review the framework and share it with your local government officials, as well as community groups with whom you are connected. We are excited to see how North Carolina transitions to cleaner and more equitable transportation options that don’t leave any of our community members behind. The Equitable EV Action Plan Framework is an important step towards making that goal a reality.

Learn more about the Equitable EV Action Plan Framework

For more information about the TEEM community of practice in North Carolina, email Tanisha Fant at tanisha@solnation.org or Dani Moore at dani@ncjustice.org. For links to our member organizations and our national platform on advancing equitable electric mobility, see @teemnc | Linktree.