Leveraging Commuting Patterns and Workplace Charging to Advance Equitable EV Charger Access

This study introduces a framework for improving accessibility to and quantifying social equity priorities in electric vehicle charging infrastructure through strategic workplace charger placement. We develop a customizable equity evaluation model that quantifies access disparities across demographic groups. This model is used to construct an optimization framework that informs charging infrastructure deployment decisions. Leveraging commuting patterns, we demonstrate in the case study of Oakland, California that strategically placing workplace charging can achieve, on average, a 1.8-fold reduction in accessible charging resource disparities compared to benchmark scenarios. Our analysis reveals that targeted workplace charger deployment in high-commuter zones can disproportionately improve citywide equity. The framework provides policymakers with quantifiable metrics to evaluate trade-offs between sometimes divergent equity considerations (e.g., income, housing type) and offers practical insights for achieving more equitable charging infrastructure distribution.