Ever wonder what drives the placement of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and who will benefit from them? What about the working-poor and minority communities? Will they be able to take advantage of electric vehicles, their benefits, and the glut of associated technologies?
As General Motors and other U.S. automakers focus on retooling their operation, aiming to gain a frontrunner position by building only electric vehicles by 2030, the issue becomes more critical in the foreseeable future.
Take a drive through urban areas where people of color reside. Finding an EV charger is challenging, if not impossible. So, if you’re thinking, what’s up with that, you’re not alone. Similar to many other emerging technologies, EV charging stations in minority communities are extremely rare. And it is no surprise that the three factors behind the deficiency are: Economics, power, and race.
What raises the red flag is that minorities and the poor could be left behind as the country shifts from combustible vehicles to EVs. If the apparent absence of EV charging stations in minority communities is any indication, then the possibility of environmental racism and related risk factors are a genuine concern.
Based on the sales of EVs, and according to the American Lung Association, people of color are 3.5 times more likely than their white counterparts to live in areas with bad air quality. In addition, their exposure to air pollution and toxic emissions makes them more susceptible to health risks such as emphysema, asthma, and other respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
According to Energy News Network, in Chicago, the concentration of charging stations is largely in predominantly white and well-to-do areas compared to the city’s South Side and West Side.
The EV disparities are reminiscent of the food deserts that impact poor communities where limited access to affordable and nutritious food contributes to serious health problems. As if to drive home the point, Whole Foods announced the closure of its Chicago South Side Englewood store after six years, to leave the struggling community without access to reasonably-priced, better-quality food, and to abandon its promise to neighborhood residents.
In 2019 white middle-aged men with college degrees and earning six figures were the leading demographic of EV owners. According to a 2018 survey conducted by Plug In America, non-Hispanic whites were buying 55% of EVs, Hispanics 10%, and Blacks bringing up the rear at 2%. The demographics strongly suggest that the future of a secure and reliable EV infrastructure could depend on rethinking equitable criteria that, among other things, reverse the economic barriers that hinder the sale of EVs to minorities.
Yet, who is buying EVs shouldn’t be the sole factor propelling decisions related to the placement of EV charging stations. Luckily, grassroots organizations insist on the proper placement of charging stations and promoting the manufacturing of affordable EVs for the masses. Groups similar to Blacks in Green seek answers related to the access to technological innovations for the working poor and people of color. The goal is to move away from gasoline-powered vehicles and make a transition to EVs that are less expensive for fuel and to maintain.
When reminding the Nation of its progress during his second inaugural address, U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt said, ‘The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
Anthony Stanford, who was named the 2014 Outstanding African American of the Year by the Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board, is an opinion columnist and author of the book, “Homophobia in the Black Church: How Faith, Politics and Fear Divide the Black Community.”