Abstract for: Toward Fairer Transportation: Modeling Energy Justice in Electric Vehicle Operation

The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has been extensively studied in the context of market dynamics, yet there remains a gap in assessing EV-associated injustices. While several works have qualitatively assessed or provided quantitative statistical evidence for these injustices, no work has attempted to understand the underlying mechanisms that give rise to them. This research uses a systems thinking approach to explore the interconnected dynamics between EV adoption and energy justice. It considers EVs' operation or use lifecycle stage and operationalizes distributive and recognition-based injustices by characterizing advantaged and disadvantaged populations, which experience socio-economic and spatial disparities in ownership and operational convenience. Based on prior review and qualitative-based works that resulted in a dynamic hypothesis for the problem, a small system dynamics (SD) model was developed to model the case of Portugal. Simulation results display the adoption dynamics between these two populations, including the importance of the second-hand fossil fuel vehicle market for fleet electrification goals. This study contributes to the literature on energy justice by providing a systems-based assessment of EV-related injustices while also offering insights for policymakers to foster a more inclusive and equitable transition to electric mobility.