Electric Vehicle Adoption in California: Predictors, Impacts on Local Air Quality and Respiratory Health, and Inequities

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Electrification of the transportation sector in the United States, crucial for climate change mitigation, is projected to have considerable co-benefits for public health through reductions in tailpipe-related emission. Numerous studies have estimated impacts on air quality and a few on health outcomes under various hypothetical scenarios—but no study to date has evaluated the broad real-world impacts of current rapidly increasing electric vehicle (EV) adoption levels. Further, there a serious concern is that EV adoption is not equitably distributed across the population. We propose to study inequities in EV adoption and in the observed local air quality and respiratory health co-benefits of EV adoption, using a sequential qualitative  quantitative  qualitative mixed methods design which melds community-engaged research with traditional epidemiological data analyses of large statewide databases in CA. We will first conduct focus group discussions with community members of the Southeast Los Angeles region, in collaboration with our community partner, to better understand perceived barriers and possible opportunities for promoting adoption of EVs in underserved communities (Aim 1a). Data from these focus group discussions will be used to refine our preliminary conceptual framework for EV adoption and identify additional hypotheses for testing in subsequent quantitative aims. Next, key predictive factors of neighborhood-level EV adoption in CA will be characterized using real-world data on EV registration (Aim 1b). Then, we will evaluate the effect of observed local EV adoption on measured tailpipe-related air pollutant concentrations (fine particulate matter [PM2.5] and nitrogen dioxide [NO2]) and assess potential effect measure modification by neighborhood/contextual factors (Aim 2). Finally, we will examination associations of EV adoption with local ED visits and hospitalization for pediatric and adult asthma and COPD, again assessing for potential effect measure modification by neighborhood/ contextual factors (Aim 3). Sustained bidirectional community engagement is built in across the entire study period. In addition to focus group discussions, the community engagement plan includes annual community dialogues and Advisory Council meetings and a final community report back meeting. Our multi- pronged approach for community engagement is expected to enhance the relevance, validity, and impact of research findings. Study findings will provide policymakers with valuable real-world evidence on air quality and health co-benefits of the EV transition and empower communities with documented inequities in the transition, facilitating future research to mitigate these effects and reduce future environment and health disparities.