Knowledge Bank

This study presents an adoption model of electrified transportation for residents of underserved communities in the Columbus Metropolitan Area (CMA). The diagram, which is based on a casual loop diagram, considers the evolution of stocks of personal vehicles – including internal combustion and electric – and public transportation buses – including compressed natural gas and electric –and includes important financial, social, cultural, equity, and access variables. The model will be parameterized with information from surveys, focus groups, and interviews conducted in fifteen underserved communities in the CMA. With the understanding afforded by this model, a life cycle inventory will be integrated to understand the broader environmental implications of the transition to electric mobility to serve these communities. The overall goal is to understand how the City of Columbus could encourage the transition to electrified mobility in service to communities that have been historically marginalized and in ways that are environmentally and economically sustainable.