Electric charging infrastructure and gender equality: An overview for USER-CHI (H2020 project)

Abstract

Background: The paper investigates aspects of gender equality in the implementation process of charging infrastructure with the innovative solutions for “USER centric Charging Infrastructure project” (short: USER-CHI) as reference. The USER-CHI project offers possible solutions for user-friendly e-Mobility surrounding the Mediterranean and Scandinavian Trans European Network corridors. In this regard of providing user-friendly solutions, the need for further information to recognize gender bias in the implementation process arose. Methods: Therefore, the paper combines insights from the project’s product development and a literature review results of gender bias in infrastructure and mobility planning. It aims at providing knowledge about gender-specific and diverse user needs which then can be incorporated into the design of charging infrastructure. Results: The term “gender bias” is commonly understood as opinionated actions or ideas as said by the gender-grounded receptivity that women are not associated to men in status and rights. Projects in the realm of electrification of mobility and its infrastructures lack in diversity sensitivity. This paper addresses these gaps by evaluating existing datasets from the User Chi project and identifying gender bias in literature research of the mobility and transport field. Conclusions: The authors conclude that more diverse approaches are needed. Due to the limitations of the available dataset, the authors apply a differentiation between male and female usage patterns and needs in mobility solutions as a starting point. Therefore, the recommendations made in this paper focus on the accessibility of electric mobility and charging infrastructure for women while setting the goal to establish a more diverse (respectively gender neutral) access to this type of mobility.