For instance, one of the new IRA tax credits<\/a> for charging stations installed after 2023 would cover up to 30 percent of their installation cost. The full benefits of this credit would only apply to charging stations located in a rural community or a low-income community \u2014 defined as a census tract with a poverty rate of at least 20 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe fact that there is now funding available across the country for deploying charging infrastructure, I think it’s a good sign,\u201d said Alvaro Sanchez, the vice president of policy at the Greenlining Institute<\/a>, an environmental justice nonprofit based in Oakland, California. (Sanchez was a 2019 Grist Fixer<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n And for those interested in buying an electric car but discouraged by the cost, a $7,500 tax credit on new EVs will likely help. But the problem, both automakers and advocates say, is that the credit comes with strict rules about where new EVs must be built and where their batteries must be sourced. They argue that these rules would mean that too few EVs would qualify, continuing to make it hard for potential buyers to buy one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even a $4,000 tax credit on used EVs would force potential new buyers to wait, as the credit would only apply to used EVs put into service after Dec. 31 of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall vehicle ownership rates<\/a> are far lower for households of color than for white households. And households of color tend to hold onto cars for a longer time. These inequities in car ownership are largely driven by the racial wealth gap and lack of intergenerational wealth, as well as discriminatory auto insurance<\/a> and auto loan rate<\/a> policies that make it harder for people of color to afford cars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In low-income communities around the US, finding an electric vehicle charging station is often as difficult as finding a grocery store. Charging stations are more likely to be found<\/a> in dense clusters in wealthier and generally whiter urban areas. Drive, or walk, through a low-income community of color or a rural area, and you would be hard-pressed to find a charging station. Advocates call these areas \u201ccharging deserts<\/a>.\u201d They also argue that this lack of access to charging stations has contributed to lower rates of EV ownership among racial minorities. Advocates argue that if there\u2019s no access to charging stations, how will people be motivated to buy an EV?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe can\u2019t build equitable infrastructure anywhere<\/em> if the money isn\u2019t available, let alone in the communities that need it the most,\u201d said Michael Brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both Brown and Sanchez are nonetheless encouraged by the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, as well as provisions in last November\u2019s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The November bill allocated $7.5 billion to build out a national network of 500,000 charging stations and required states to submit mapping plans of their part of the charging infrastructure. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the build-up of the national charging network<\/a> would be prioritized on \u201cAlternative Fuel Corridors\u201d along the Interstate Highway System, benefiting electric vehicle owners who are commuting or making long-distance trips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this year, Indiana\u2019s Department of Transportation announced that it would follow the Act\u2019s guidelines and use $100 million<\/a> of its funding to expand the state\u2019s portion of the national charging network along these corridors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The state\u2019s plan faces criticism from the Indiana Alliance for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure and Economic Opportunities, a coalition of Black-owned businesses, faith institutions, nonprofits and civil rights groups. The alliance argues that the charging infrastructure plan would bypass communities of color and not prioritize Black-owned businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think you\u2019d be hard pressed to find a senator or congressman who knows the best location to place electric vehicle chargers to combat inequity,\u201d said Brown. \u201cThere must be top-down pressure followed by an open conversation to ensure equity in the development stages.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Activists and community members in neighborhoods of color have reflected on the missed opportunities of previous massive national infrastructure projects. The creation of the federal interstate highway system in the 1950s decimated historically Black neighborhoods and facilitated the transfer of wealth from urban financial centers to the country\u2019s then segregated suburbs. The system also created more opportunities for car ownership among whites, while exacerbating the racial wealth gap and cementing the dependency<\/a> of Black and other minority communities on poorly-funded public transit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lionel Rush, who is part of the Indiana Alliance and the president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance in Indianapolis, told<\/a> Indiana Public Radio earlier this month that if the EV charging stations were not equitably placed and designed to serve communities of color, those communities would be permanently left behind in the electric vehicle revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf we don\u2019t get in now, we\u2019re going to be behind \u2014 and we\u2019ll never catch up,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sanchez of the Greenlining Institute believes that the biggest solution is making sure that EV infrastructure equity doesn’t just exist on paper. That means pressuring states and the federal government to track where implementation is going well and where it might be exacerbating or creating new gaps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe need to make sure that we are adjusting our approach so that we are not leaving too many communities behind,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n This story was originally published by Grist<\/a> with the headline To ensure access to electric cars, some activists are calling attention to ‘charging deserts’<\/a> on Sep 22, 2022.<\/p>\n![\"a](\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/EV-Charging-Station-CA-Highway1-edit.jpg\")