[Auto] California Electric Vehicle Plan Must Include Vulnerable Groups

[SougarLord]

 

The study “An Agenda for Equity-Centered Clean Transportation” found that the clean transportation policies applied in the last decade in the state have not benefited all Californians in the same way. .

 

The researchers found that the low-income communities most affected by pollution have been largely left behind in the “green transition,” which threatens to impact communities of all economic levels through climate change.

 

Following the findings, the researchers recommend creating a regulatory framework to ship zero-emission vehicles on a large scale to low-income areas.

 

"Our state's zero-emission vehicle strategy must take equity into account from the beginning of its creation," the researchers stressed in a statement.

 

The biggest obstacle to achieving environmental goals appears to be the difficulty of offering access to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) to moderate- and low-income drivers, who are more likely to own older, polluting vehicles.

 

In response, the researchers recommend continuing reforms to lower the purchase price of new and used zero-emission vehicles, subsidize vehicle financing, and lower the cost of both fuel and electrical infrastructure.

 

The study is revealed as state lawmakers deliberate Governor Gavin Newsom's 2021-2022 budget, which includes a $ 1.5 trillion fiscal bill to meet ZEV vehicle goals for decades to come.

 

“As California transitions to a zero-emission transportation system, a robust and multifaceted agenda of clean transportation policies focused on equity is needed,” said J.R. DeShazo, director of the Luskin Center for Innovation.