Transportation is responsible for most air pollution in urban areas and produces the most greenhouse gases of any U.S. economic sector. To reduce these emissions, cities and businesses are considering deploying electric vehicles, which produce no tailpipe emissions that would otherwise impact public health in their immediate surroundings and have lower carbon footprints. Increasingly, decision-makers are particularly interested in ensuring that air quality benefits of electric vehicles are shared by all, including low-income communities that may be disproportionately exposed to harmful air pollution. Improved adoption and use of electrified transportation in low-income communities could improve air quality impacts on vulnerable populations while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Key Takeaways

• Planners and fleet managers should consider the potential costs and benefits of different types of electrified transportation on low-income communities.
• Planners and fleet managers can estimate and explain total cost of ownership and the differences in air quality and greenhouse gas emissions of electrified light-duty passenger cars, school buses, and transit buses.
• City planners can follow a list of key steps to facilitate the transition to electrified transportation in low-income communities.

Watch C2ES Senior Solutions Fellow Amy Morsch Bailey and Transportation Fellow Dan Welch on a webinar
hosted by Tammy Klein of Future Fuel Strategies.

Tammy Klein provides market and policy intelligence with unique insight and analysis drawn from her global network in the fuels industry through the consulting services she provides and the membership-based Future Fuels Outlook service. She is an expert on conventional, biofuels and alternative fuels market and policy issues. Tammy serves clients in the auto, oil and associated industries, as well as governments and NGOs and helps them understand current and future fuels trends and issues; or in the case of government and NGOs, the best policies to develop and implement.