2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Increasing Equity in Access to Electric vehicles and Electrified infrastructure through Perceptions, Opinions and Knowledge of Underrepresented Communities in the Paso del Norte Region

Presented at Equity, Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY) Technical Session 8

This study aims to advance vital knowledge regarding the environmental and social justice impacts of electrified technology including, electric vehicles (EVs), EV charging stations, and electrified roadways. This project is a collaboration between the National Science Foundation’s Engineering Research Center for Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification (ASPIRE) and the US Department of Transportation’s Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy and Health (CARTEEH). This effort offers health benefits through cleaner air and sustainable infrastructure that improves human health.
The goal of the study is to evaluate perceptions, knowledge, and concerns of underrepresented communities (UCs) about electrified technologies. In this study we define underserved communities as low income or minority populations. The cultural and demographic diversity of El Paso with an 85% Hispanic population offers a prime location as a testbed for the major focus of this work. This project will help inform about the social barriers that need to be taken into consideration in future research directions, design alternatives, and testbed development, leading to the rollout of widespread EV adoption that includes historically minoritized populations. Focus groups and/or surveys were implemented in four underrepresented communities in the city El Paso. Surveys included: Perceptions on the environment; transportation habits, knowledge of the technology, vehicle ownership, and demographic information. Focus groups included questions on: Knowledge and perception of local air quality, the technology and perception of EV charging stations or electrified roadways installed in their neighborhood. Major findings showed a misconception and lack of basic knowledge of the technology, such as the different type of EVs, charging devices, either public or domestic, and financial resources to own the technology such governmental incentives or tax rebates. Residents were concerned about EV battery lifetime; cost of battery replacement; increases in property taxes. An important consideration that does not often come out in surveys of higher income residents is safety and human health. Residents were concerned about how the electrified infrastructure may affect their health, especially if they have pre-existing conditions such as heart disease or cancer. These are important questions that need to be addressed to promote widespread electrification for all.
This study is relevant for the ASEE Annual Conference on the topics of “Equity, Culture & Social Justice in Education” as well as “Environmental Engineering Division” as the study directly examines disparities in knowledge of the electrified technology and access to it that must be considered with underrepresented communities according to their unique background that otherwise could not be clearly perceived.

Authors

Miss Liliana Lozada-Medellin University of Texas, El Paso [biography]

Liliana Lozada-Medellin is a Hispanic female, first-generation Ph.D. Candidate in the Environmental Science and Engineering Doctoral program at the University of Texas at El Paso. She holds a Master’s degree in Construction Engineering and Management and a Bachelor’s Degree is in Architecture. Most of her professional experience has been in the private sector as a design architect.
During her time in UTEP graduate school, she conducted research for the civil engineering (CE) department on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles technology on construction-site workers safety. She also conducted joint research for the National Science Foundation’s ASPIRE (Advancing Sustainable through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification) Engineering Research Center and the US Department of Transportation’s CARTEEH (Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health). She evaluated the environmental and social justice impacts of the electrified technologies (electric vehicles (EVs), EV charging stations, and electrified roadways) with a focus on underrepresented communities.
Dr. Ivonne Santiago http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7989-0656 University of Texas, El Paso [biography]

Dr. Ivonne Santiago is a wife, mother, Environmental Engineer, and teacher. She is an Associate Professor of the Civil Engineering (CE) Department at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Dr. Santiago has a combined experience of over 20 years in the areas of community engagement, water quality, water treatment and wastewater treatment in Puerto Rico (PR), New Mexico and Texas.
Currently, she is Chair of the El Paso Water Public Service Board (PSB), where she is a member of Engineering Selection and the Communications subcommittees, and the ad-hoc committee for storm water priorities.
She has been a member of the Environmental Protection Agency National Advisory Committee (NAC), that advises the Administrator of the EPA on environmental policy issues related to the implementation of the former North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation and was a member of the Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB) that advises the President and Congress of the United States on good neighbor practices along the U.S. border with Mexico.
Dr. Santiago’s history of service started in Puerto Rico as Director of the Water Quality Area of the PR Environmental Quality Board, in charge of Compliance, Permit, and Planning Bureau, that included Industrial and Non-Industrial permits, Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (LUSTs), and watershed restoration activities. As Director, she implemented the first Beach Monitoring program in coordination with the PR Tourism Office and the Blue Flag program (A world renowned eco-label) and implemented the first Total Maximum Daily Load Program in PR.
Professionally Dr. Santiago has been recognized with the 2019 El Paso Engineer of the Year by the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. This is the first time in more than 30 years that a UTEP faculty wins this prestigious award and the 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers’ Texas Section “Service to the People” award. This award honors civil engineers who have distinguished themselves with special service to the people and bring credit to their profession through community activities that are visible to the public. As Associate Professor her mantra has been to connect education to professional practice inside and outside the classroom as demonstrated by the local and state awards she has won: 2014 UTEP’s CETaL Giraffe Award (for sticking her neck out); 2014 College of Engineering Instruction Award; 2014 The University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award; the 2012 NCEES Award for students’ design of a Fire Station.
In her work, Dr. Santiago helps to find innovative engineering solutions through an understanding of the balance between sustainability, social equity, entrepreneurship, community engagement, innovation, and leadership to improve the well-being of people. A few examples include: interdisciplinary projects that provide safe drinking water to underserved communities in El Paso, Ciudad Juárez, Puerto Rico, and Haiti; a bridge that connected communities in Puerto Rico; a solar charging station for natural disasters in Puerto Rico; innovation and entrepreneurship activities on water quality sensors and phyto-remediation; remote sensing applications using Hyperspectral cameras on UAVs for water quality and agricultural applications; and study abroad opportunities that advance the emerging field of Peace Engineering in Curitiba, Brazil; native communities in the Amazon in Villavicencio, Colombia; and underserved communities in Piura, Perú.
Dr. Santiago is passionate about providing experiential learning opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students with a focus on Hispanic and female students. She is currently Co-PI of UTEP’s NSF-AGEP program focusing on fostering Hispanic doctoral students for academic careers; the Department of Education’s (DoE) STEMGROW Program to encourage students Latino(a) students and students with disabilities to pursue STEM careers; and DoE’s Program YES SHE CAN that provides support and mentoring to female pre-college students. She is also a member of two advisory committees to the UTEP’s President: The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee and of the Women’s Advisory Council, in which she served five years as Chair. She is also Co-PI in the NSF Engineering Research Center for Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification (ASPIRE), where she co-Directs the Diversity and Culture of Inclusion Program, where she is also a researcher in the Adoption Thrust.
Dr. Yuanrui Sang

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