2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Designing Electric Vehicle Infrastructures and Opportunities to Benefit All Residents [Traditional Research Paper]

Presented at Lightning Talk - "Innovating for Impact: Community-Engaged Education, Technology, and Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future

Countries around the globe have set electric vehicle adoption goals to address environmental and health concerns, but engineering planners and community policy experts cannot separate the socioeconomic and equity factors from transportation needs. This mixed-methods case study indicates that because transportation decisions are inextricably linked to health, work, and housing, EV adoption must also address multifaceted human needs. To avoid the transportation inequities of the past, it is essential that historically-marginalized communities are consulted in the adoption process, and have opportunities to actively benefit from the infrastructures and economic growth caused by electrification. “If you don't know the space in the communities and the harms that they've felt, if you don't hear those stories, you can inadvertently just reimpose harm,” said one study participant. The purpose of this study was to provide an empirically-based, transferable equity roadmap that can be used to guide community engagement efforts for electrification in other communities. Over the time period of a year, researchers collected in-depth data using multiple methods and sources (public meetings, local news forums, surveys, and interviews) for a rich context that sought to understand community needs and priorities, build from local knowledge, refine research questions to improve relevance, and disseminate results. Data analysis indicated the need for infrastructure designed for people who do not own electric cars (e.g., “What are we doing for communities that can't afford these things?”) and attention to workforce development (e.g., “It would be disingenuous of us to imagine a transition in our electric system that doesn't include workforce, that doesn't think about how it impacts people”). Two main outcomes of the research have been 1. a template for charging stations to advance mobility justice with a range of options that purposefully benefit the whole community, and 2. a workforce development plan with best-practices recommendations.

Authors

Polly Parkinson http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7635-1489 Utah State University [biography]

Doctoral research assistant for ASPIRE engineering research center's community engagement and workforce development team.
Emma Mecham Utah State University
Fawn Groves Utah State University
Dr. Ivonne Santiago http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7989-0656 University of Texas at El Paso [biography]

Dr. Ivonne Santiago is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the Co-Director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification (ASPIRE). She is deeply committed to advancing equity, particularly in providing access to safe drinking water and promoting clean transportation solutions as catalysts for social mobility. Through her work, she actively advocates for these causes and engages her students in hands-on learning experiences at local, regional, and international levels.
Dr. Santiago's expertise spans four key areas:
1. Equity and Environmental Impacts of Clean Transportation and Electrified Infrastructure: Dr. Santiago ensures that the voices of community partners are heard and incorporated in decisions regarding the placement of electrified infrastructure. Her work includes modeling greenhouse gas emissions on regional and national scales, supported by funding from NSF through ASPIRE and the Federal Highway Administration through the City of El Paso.
2. Water Treatment, Resource Recovery, and Conservation: She leads pilot-scale projects on water reuse, resource recovery, and brine reduction from desalination, utilizing advanced technologies such as membrane processes and electrodialysis. These efforts are funded by El Paso Water, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the National Alliance for Water Innovation, and NOAA.
3. Engineering Workforce Development: Dr. Santiago champions the success of Hispanic students and Latinas in STEM and academia. She provides opportunities for UTEP students to engage in study-abroad programs in Colombia, Brazil, and Haiti. These initiatives are supported by NSF, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Education.
4. Community Outreach to Underserved and Indigenous Communities: Her outreach efforts focus on providing safe drinking water to communities along the U.S.-Mexico border and in Colombia. These projects are funded by the U.S. Department of State, NIH, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Beyond her academic and research roles, Dr. Santiago has served as Chair of the Public Service Board, overseeing El Paso Water and contributing to the management of critical water resources.
Dr. Santiago’s impactful contributions have earned her numerous prestigious awards, highlighting her dedication to her profession, students, and community. Among her notable accolades are the 2025 Best Practice Award for the World Expo under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” for her collaboration with Colombian partners on the "Uni Masaquerí Alliance: Clean Water Supply for the Future of Communities;" the 2023 El Paso Women of Impact Award, the 2023 McDonald's Hispanos Triunfadores in STEM Award, the 2014 University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, the 2018 ASCE Texas Section "Service to the People" Award, and the 2019 Engineer of the Year Award from the Texas Society of Professional Engineers in El Paso. These honors underscore her unwavering commitment to sustainable development, equity, and excellence in engineering.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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