Electric Vehicles, Chargers Need To Be More Accessible In Chicago, Researchers Say

CHICAGO — Electric vehicles could reduce air pollution in Chicago, especially in communities that have faced disproportionate health problems, experts said.

But there’s a problem: People on the South and West sides might not be able to access these cars, and they’re being left behind in this green transition, said José Miguel Acosta Córdova, senior transportation policy analyst at the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.

Public chargers for electric cars are not evenly available throughout the city, with public chargers more concentrated Downtown and on the North Side, while there are fewer on the South and West sides.

Electric cars also tend to cost more than cars that use gasoline, which can be a barrier for people with lower incomes, said Daniel Horton, head of the Climate Change Research Group at Northwestern University. But they’ve been becoming more affordable in recent years.

“Until very recently, electric vehicles were really only accessible to higher-income folks, but because of new models coming out that are at a lower price point, and a used vehicle market, there’ll be more accessibility for people at a lower income to purchase electric vehicles,” Horton said.

But the charging issues remain: Even if people can buy electric cars, they have to figure out where to charge them.

“To increase accessibility to electric vehicles, we will need chargers in lots of different places, and that includes in disadvantaged communities,” Horton said.

Accessing Chargers

A Block Club analysis of city data for public electric vehicle chargers shows more are concentrated on the North Side and Downtown. There are some on the West and South sides — including a hub around the University of Chicago area — but they tend to be more spaced out.

Acosta Córdova said issues of access are affecting lower-income communities in Chicago the most.

“As it is right now, most of the charging infrastructure is located in the wealthier communities,” Acosta Córdova said. “If you look at much of the South and West sides in both Black and Brown communities, there’s a severe lack of infrastructure, and there’s also a lack of EV ownership, as well.”

The data doesn’t show private chargers, like those in people’s homes, though.

Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health programs at the Respiratory Health Association, said 80 percent of electric vehicle charging is done at home, so the disparities in electric vehicle chargers have more of an effect on people who rent since they might face more challenges charging at home.

“It’s kind of predicated on having a parking space that’s yours and electric outlet where you can plug into,” Urbaszewski said. “So if you have a single-family home, you can do that. If you’re a renter or if you’re a condo dweller, it’s a little hard to do that because you’re not controlling parking spaces.”

Electric vehicle charging stations are largely privately owned. Horton said that because these private corporations are for-profit, they are focused on placing chargers in areas where they could make the most money — which is in wealthier areas that have historically been better able to afford and access electric cars.

What Can Make A Difference

Increasing infrastructure for electric vehicles could increase people’s ability to access the cars.

Horton said he believes the government can play a role in addressing the inequities. He would like to see the government “incentivize private institutions or potentially have public institutions install chargers in locations that at the moment are not financially viable, but in the future might become more viable,” he said.

The city has an electric vehicle ordinance, established in 2020, that sets minimum requirements for new residential buildings to have parking spaces that are electric vehicle-ready or to have chargers.

The ordinance means new residential buildings and those being renovated have to do the wiring for parking spaces, but they do not actually have to install chargers, Urbaszewski said. He said this is still helpful to residents who want chargers.

“It’s a lot cheaper to pull those wires later than if you didn’t have that piece of pipe with an electrical conduit,” Urbaszewski said.

But the ordinance doesn’t apply to existing buildings — which leaves out communities that see less investment in the form of developments.

Urbaszewski said Chicago and Illinois can use government money to install chargers. He said funding available under laws like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency should be used to expand charger access.

Although accessibility to electric vehicles for personal use is important, wider use of electric vehicles for commercial use would have an even larger impact, Horton said.

“In terms of electrifying the vehicle fleet, we’ll really get the most bang for our buck by electrifying heavy-duty vehicles, and so that’s things like semi-trucks, garbage trucks and school buses,” Horton said. “There are advantages to electrifying the light-duty fleet, but there’s much larger benefits to electrifying the heavy-duty fleet, and that’s a burden that corporations can bear.”

Neighbors on the West, South and Southwest sides have for years organized to push local industry to do more to prevent pollution — which has an outsized impact in those areas — including calling on companies to use electric vehicles.

“Near warehouses, intermodal rail yards, other freight operations, you can have communities that are just overrun with trucks that are suffering a lot of health impacts,” Urbaszewski said.

Acosta Córdova said he would like to see electrification of commercial vehicles focused on these types of communities. He said Chicago should be leading the way on electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by installing charging stations in commercial and rail yard locations.

“This is the only place in North America where all six class-one railroads converge, and there’s no other city that can offer the kind of rail infrastructure that we can, and that’s something that we need to be able to use to our advantage in terms of holding the industry accountable,” Acosta Córdova said.

CalStart in partnership with the city of Chicago published a commercial electric vehicles readiness guide in 2020. The suggested guideline said that, “At least one, or 20 percent of loading docks and depot spaces (whichever is greater) should be prepared for the installation of charging stations.”

Although these guidelines aren’t requirements, Horton hopes Chicago and Illinois will enact policies that encourage companies to transition to electric for their heavy-duty vehicles. One policy Horton said would be “a welcome change” is mandating electric vehicle chargers at new warehouse and distribution center loading docks.

Health Benefits

Helping move people and companies to using electric vehicles could reduce pollution and make positive health changes for Chicagoans.

Transportation is the top source of climate change-causing pollution in Illinois, Brian Urbaszewski said.

At the same time, many South and West side neighborhoods have been identified as the parts of Chicago that have been hit hardest by pollution and industry — and air pollution can leave people vulnerable to heart and lung disease, among other health issues.

Studies show making the switch to electric commercial vehicles could improve air quality and respiratory health in Chicago long-term.

“Estimated public health impacts include reductions in premature mortality and fewer hospital admissions and emergency room visits for asthma,” according to a 2022 ERM Clean Trucks Program study.

Acosta Córdova said these improvements could benefit the city as a whole.

“It’s an issue that impacts communities across the Chicago region, not just low-income communities, not just communities of color. There’s a lot of wealthy communities that are also impacted by the movement of goods,” Acosta Córdova said. “That’s why everybody needs to be interested in and needs to be concerned about making this a priority.”

Horton hopes the transition to electric vehicles comes soon to communities all over the city.

“The technology is out there. It’s just a matter of being courageous enough to implement it,” Horton said.

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