Electrifying the transportation sector would bring environmental, economic and equity benefits. However, a significant obstacle to the adoption of electric vehicles is our national charging infrastructure. Current charging infrastructure policy is guided by a the needs of gasoline-powered cars, while ignoring many of the unique benefits that electric vehicles possess. Most recent policymaking has focused on high-speed chargers, where an individual can charge their car in minutes, as opposed to hours. These chargers are needed primarily during long distance travel, but they don’t satisfy the daily needs of most drivers. Charging policy should meet the needs of the consumer and incentivize ubiquitous slow speed chargers that allow drivers to charge anywhere, at any time.

On April 5th at 9AM ET, join Ryan Cornell (Arizona State University) for a New Tools in Science Policy seminar on why a paradigm shift needs to occur if we hope to effectively transition to electric vehicles and why electric vehicle charging policy should focus on the quantity of chargers, as opposed to the quality of chargers. He will use real world examples to outline what an idealized charging infrastructure would look like, and how we can develop charging infrastructure policy that accounts for the unique benefits and needs of electric vehicles.