May 10, 2024 12:00 PM
Title: Electrifying Transportation in Rural America: Real and Perceived Barriers to Electric Vehicle Adoption Among Rural Residents
Committee members: David Bernell, Shawn Hazboun, Grant Jacobsen
Abstract: Electric vehicle sales in the United States are increasing, and their growing use is seen as part of efforts to combat climate change. Technology improvements and market forces have led to better lithium-ion batteries and a rapid decline in prices, enabling electric vehicles (EVs) to be an economical and technologically feasible means of decarbonizing transportation energy. In addition, policy measures such as the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) allocated funding for EVs and charging infrastructure. Despite these advances and incentives, EV adoption lags in some areas and among some demographic groups. This research identifies leading barriers to EV adoption, employing a survey of self-selecting respondents who were recruited via social media sites focusing largely on rural Oregon. Results show that roughly 75% of respondents reported that they are unlikely to purchase an EV, with even higher rates of reluctance among older and politically conservative respondents. Leading barriers are primarily technological and economic, including concerns about charging infrastructure, charging time, battery degradation, off-road and towing performance, market selection, and purchase price.