Electric vehicles for low-income housing

What the article fails to mention is that the housing crisis precludes ownership of EVs by low-income residents. I make more than the California median income of $84,097 but an electric car is out of the question for me. It’s not only the higher sticker price, it’s the lack of a place to charge a vehicle because I rent a room and I don’t rent a house. I also drive for a living and the limited range on a single charge would limit my driving and income. And my 80-hour work week gives me little time to find a public place to charge my vehicle. If you don’t own or rent a house, you live in an apartment, your expenses and time needed rise dramatically.

The added requirement that housing be friendly to EV ownership will only drive up the rent and utilities. So if you can’t find a house that is affordable you will also not be able to operate an EV in the places that are within your budget. And so, as the article reports, ownership in minority ZIP codes will remain under 2%.

It’s not looking good for 2035.

James Constantino

South San Francisco