Used EV Markets in California

Bachelor’s of Science in Urban Planning with Computer Science Thesis - May 2022 - Advisor David Hsu

Abstract

In September 2020, California required that all new cars sold are to be zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) by 2035. This mandate places an added burden on low-income households due to the fact electric vehicles (EV) have higher upfront costs than gasoline vehicles. The relatively new intersection between used cars and electric vehicles offers used EVs as a sustainable, lower cost transportation option. This thesis examines California used EV dealership listings from the ecommerce site Cargurus to explore correlations between used EV share and demographic data such as per capita income, percent renters, and the proportion of black population each dealership serves through geospatial analysis. The thesis then considers policies that would increase used EV adoption California. We conclude that with used EV purchasing incentives along with other car buying risk mitigations, used EVs can become more accessible for low-income communities in California.