Electric vehicles hold the potential to curb carbon emissions and act as a crucial tool in the fight against climate change. However, according to a team of researchers from Penn State, there has been a paucity of studies examining the equitable distribution of benefits associated with EVs. Furthermore, there is concern that this technology may unjustly disadvantage certain areas and populations.

Indeed, in a recent paper, the authors find that just 48 studies out of a pool of nearly 10,000 address equity issues involving EVs, which they believe is hugely illustrative as to the scale of the problem.

“During that screening process, we began to learn what is overstudied and what is understudied,” they explain. “We highlighted in our paper what we saw as the most understudied: making equity more explicit as research and, second, we saw a need to focus on those emerging markets and parts of the developing world where EVs are going to be more important.”

Hidden costs

The researchers suggest that while driving electric vehicles avoids the direct emission of carbon and harmful gases, there may be concealed economic and ecological ramifications. Their study highlights potential challenges, such as the reliance of power plants on carbon-emitting systems to generate electricity for charging EVs. Moreover, these power plants might be located far from the areas where electric vehicles are predominantly utilized.

Furthermore, the researchers note that the production of electric vehicles necessitates the extraction and manufacturing of specific metals and materials. These resources traverse intricate global supply chains before reaching the EV assembly lines, indicating additional complexities and potential ecological consequences.

“As one example, electric cars are often seen as a positive step towards reducing air pollution in urban areas,” they explain. “However, depending on how the electricity used to charge these cars is generated, it can have unintended consequences. If coal-fired power plants are used to generate the electricity for charging electric cars, then those living near these power plants may suffer from the transition to clean transportation. Additionally, the global supply chain challenges for electric vehicles, such as the need for batteries and steel, raise concerns that maybe we are just shifting emissions and other negative impacts to other countries.”

Vulnerable communities

According to the researchers, there has been a notable dearth of research focusing on the identification of populations that might be particularly susceptible to the aforementioned consequences.

They emphasize the necessity of examining the localized factors that contribute to air pollution and its effects. The authors highlight the distribution of social demographic patterns as an influential factor determining exposure and subsequent environmental impacts.

For instance, areas with higher concentrations of elderly individuals may face heightened vulnerability to the health consequences associated with air pollution compared to regions with larger populations of younger individuals.

The study underscores the imperative to thoroughly investigate the multifaceted impacts—both positive and negative—of these intricate technological advancements through the lens of equity.

“There is an importance to understanding the intersection between environmental and social issues and also understanding how to better assess equity about the research in a policy setting,” the researchers explain. “As this study shows, equity is definitely a complex issue that involves better understanding the complex intersections between the transport of power and the manufacturing sector and how these equity implications can greatly differ depending on the geographical location, spatial scale and other social demographic factors.”