Final Summary Report: Zero-Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Mandates Workshop

This document is a report summarizing Resources for the Future’s workshop: “Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Mandates Workshop: Research for Effective, Efficient, and Equitable Policy Implementation.” The virtual workshop, held on June 12 and 13, included two fireside chats and five moderated discussion panels covering a range of different topics with over 25 panel participants. The objectives of the workshop were to explore the policies put in place by California and New York that require a rapid scale-up of electric vehicle (EV) adoption, both in the light-duty and medium- and heavy-duty sectors, and to understand the role that research has to play in helping states achieve their goals efficiently, effectively, and equitably. This report summarizes the insights and discussions held during the panels and fireside chats and elicits open questions on different topics. We provide the list of participants and the workshop agenda in the appendices to this report.Throughout the workshop, many discussions overlapped across the panels and three themes emerged as key areas where researchers could help to inform policymaking. These include:Equity: Achieving an equitable transition to EVs is a shared goal amongst many communities and governments. The ZEV mandates provide a significant opportunity for local governments to increase equity outcomes of their communities. However, if policies are not structured carefully and intentionally, workshop participants noted that the ZEV mandates could possibly exacerbate inequities, leaving behind underserved communities who have been most affected by transportation pollution. The main issues include:Given that electric vehicle adoption has been relatively concentrated within wealthier and whiter communities, achieving an equitable transition requires us to consider barriers to adoption in underserved communities. What policies, including public charging stations or EV subsidies, are most effective in accelerating adoption by these households?How can we leverage the transition to EVs to improve mobility options for households, and to improve the electric grid in underserved areas?How can we ensure that the transition to EVs does not negatively affect jobs and encourages workforce training in preparation for new jobs related to EV manufacturing and maintenance?What policies can help ensure that charging stations are accessible and functioning properly in lower-income and racial/ethnic minority communities?What policies and regulations could ensure an equitable distribution of air quality and economic benefits of the EV transition to underserved communities?What policies can we implement to reduce any negative environmental impacts of EV manufacturing and critical mineral extraction and processing for batteries?Charging stations: Workshop participants described public charging stations as one of the most important investments that can be made to increase vehicle adoption. Given prevalent range anxiety concerns, more public charging stations can help alleviate these concerns and allow for greater adoption. Furthermore, more investments in these stations can also reduce the driving range and battery capacity necessary for incentivizing adoption, which has other benefits in terms of reduced critical minerals usage. Optimizing the placement of charging stations will be a key issue in bringing about an effective, efficient, and equitable transition to EVs. Some more specific research questions include:How can charging station networks be structured in order to maximize societal benefits: from an equity perspective, a business investment perspective, a grid perspective, and to accelerate the adoption of EVs?What are the best policies for bringing about compatibility in charging station networks, and what are the costs associated with having multiple standards?How can we optimize charging station subsidies to achieve equity and efficiency in our investments?What role do charging station investments play in accelerating EV adoption, particularly in low-income communities? What policies can help ensure that these investments result in accessible and affordable public charging?Place-based research: Centering a research question, data, methods, and framing around a specific geographic location or region will be key to answering all of the above questions in a way that makes sense for different locations. Each location is unique and faces its own challenges and characteristics. For example, electric distribution system investment costs may vary widely depending on location. Conducting research on tariffs in one utility service territory may have only limited applicability to other areas. This means that for policymakers to choose approaches, policies, and regulations that work well for their location, they will need significant support from the research community to create models and understandings that are specific to their needs. Some of the issues raised include:Understanding local mobility needs and tailoring electrification solutions to these needs. In some places, expanding and improving public transit simultaneously with electrification can bring about improved equity and mobility, but in other areas, solutions such as increasing ride share accessibility may be cheaper and a better solution for improving mobility.Identifying investments in charging stations (both location and speed of charging) that improve outcomes of interest (such as greater EV adoption, increased equity in access, etc.) will depend significantly on local conditions, including costs of investments, traffic flows, density of the area, business development opportunities, and so on. Place-based modeling can help local policymakers identify layouts that maximize the net benefits for their region.Quantifying price responsiveness to different tariffs requires a focus on local tariffs given the large differences in underlying costs. Furthermore, local regulators are hesitant to accept results from other service territories as applicable to their location. By conducting modeling and analyses on local electric tariffs, regulators and utilities can be better informed of the benefits of new rate designs.The benefits of grid injections vary significantly across location and time. Conducting place-based models at a fine geographic and temporal scale can help local utilities and regulators identify cost-reflective tariffs and payments for vehicle-to-grid injections (a technology that allows vehicles to send excess electricity from their battery back to the electric grid).What is clear from the workshop discussions is that there is much more research that we can conduct to inform policymakers of how to ensure that the ZEV mandates are not just achievable, but also effective, efficient, and equitable.