Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan in Illinois

We study the allocation of dynamic electric vehicle charging investments from the policymaker’s perspective, which aims to meet statewide emission-reduction targets for the Illinois passenger vehicle sector. We determine statewide charging deployment trajectories over a 30-year planning horizon and estimate their emission reduction. Electric vehicle demand functions model the electrified vehicle market growth and capture network externalities and spatial heterogeneity. Our analysis indicates that most chargers need to be deployed in the first 10 to 15 years of the transition to allow benefits to accrue for electric vehicle drivers, availability of home charging influences consumers’ choice and drivers’ electrified travel distance, charging stations should be prioritized for frequent long-distance drivers, and spatial effects are crucial in accurately capturing the demand for electric vehicles in Illinois. We also develop a multi-criteria suitability map to site charging stations for electric vehicles based on economic, societal, and environmental justice indicators. We identify census tracts that should be prioritized during Illinois’ statewide deployment of charging infrastructure along with interstates and major highways that traverse them. Major interstates and highways I-90, I-80, I-55, and I-57 are identified as having high siting suitability scores for charging stations. Last, a novel location model was developed for equitable electric vehicle charging infrastructure placement in the Illinois interstate and major highway network. Two objectives were set to reduce detours and improve the ability to complete long-distance trips for low-income electric vehicle travelers and multi-unit dwelling residents. Our analysis indicates that if the system’s efficiency is the only consideration, low-income/multi-unit housing resident travelers are most likely to fail to complete their trips, while an equitable charging siting could mitigate this issue.