SHOPSMART AUTOS – CUSTOMER INFORMATION – JANUARY 31, 2021
With bans on gas-powered vehicles, here are key steps to increase EV equity
Replacing gas cars with electric cars in disadvantaged communities helps directly reduce the climate change and air pollution that disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities. Glenn cites a Union of Concerned Scientists study, which reports that Black and Latino communities in California breathe, respectively, 43 percent and 39 percent more deadly PM2.5 air pollution than white Californians. “Air pollution causes more chronic illnesses and premature deaths in communities of color, and also partially explains why COVID-19 mortality rates are disproportionately high among African Americans,” Glenn explained. New EV prices should equal internal-combustion vehicles by 2024, according to Nick Albanese, head of BNEF’s intelligent mobility team. In the past 10 years, lithium-ion battery prices have fallen by 87 percent, according to BNEF’s Electric Vehicle Outlook 2020, and will continue to decrease — drawing EV price equity near. Some new-EV leases are surprisingly affordable. As an industry, we need to focus on the second-life purchase to bring down the cost and maximize availability to lower-income drivers. Getting into a new EV, however, is not the whole story — neither economically nor for the sake of the circular economy. Prices of used EVs are already a bargain. Marshall, based in the Detroit area, encourages car manufacturers to make zero-emission alternatives more accessible. “As an industry, we need to focus on the second-life purchase to bring down the cost and maximize availability to lower-income drivers,” she said. “[Original equipment manufacturers] need to ensure that the vehicles have stable batteries that can go another 5 to 10 years, avoiding placing a burden on the second owner.” On EV Life’s website, an EV-incentives calculator generates a quote of low-income EV incentives in seconds, based on income, ZIP code and desired vehicle. Operating an EV is about half the cost of operating a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, as demonstrated by the U.S. Department of Energy’s EV Drive Cost Calculator. Based on the rising number of innovative programs with which people with low incomes can own EVs, the lower operating cost of EVs compared to ICE vehicles and the proliferation of clean and safe electric transportation options outside of car ownership, it’s clear that equal access to EVs is on its way. What can be done to accelerate EV equity? CALSTART wants employers to incentivize their EV-driving employees to carpool. At LinkedIn, for example, employees who carpool to work are guaranteed access to EV charging there. EV Life emphasizes the importance of supporting more low-income drivers through helping states to adopt clean-vehicle grants, such as those offered in California. At a national level, the U.S. House of Representatives passed The Moving Forward Act, which would triple the $7,500 federal tax credits available for EVs, add a tax credit for use EV purchases of $2,500 (or up to 30 percent of the sale price) and invest $1.4 billion in expanding EV charging sites across the U.S. All of these investments will be critical to addressing the upfront cost barriers associated with EV adoption. Coming back to education, much progress toward EV equity will be made when people of all income levels and backgrounds learn that they, too, can enjoy using EV transportation, benefit from cleaner and quieter neighborhoods and help to keep fossil fuels in the ground. Make it a champion day!
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