A geospatial data fusion framework to quantify variations in electric vehicle charging demand

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EV) are an emerging mode of transportation, and big cities in the United States have witnessed an ever-growing demand for EV usage. The primary benefit of EVs is the high fuel efficiency by using only electricity, and hence lowers the dependency on fossil fuels and significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Although the number of EVs has increased, the availability of EV charging stations for public use has been disproportionate to its demand. More recently, populations residing in the Southern California region have been faced with challenges such as range anxiety owing to the uneven spatial distribution of charging stations throughout the region. As the EV population continues to expand, identifying hotspots of EV charging and barriers to the equitable access of charging stations have gained much importance. Our study uses a geospatial data fusion approach with spatial statistics to combine EV charging station data, land use information, and American Community Survey (ACS) data at the census block group level in Orange County, California to discover optimal locations to broaden the EV charging network and identify potential equity issues surrounding charging station placements.