Charging Ahead: How to Make Electric Mobility Work for All

This briefing by RMI discusses the necessity of focused electric vehicle (EV) policies to ensure low- to moderate-income communities are not excluded from the energy transition. Based on a feasibility study conducted for Connecticut's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), the document identifies specific electric mobility modes—microtransit, carsharing, and micromobility—that can address systemic transportation gaps and outlines the critical role electric utilities can play in supporting these initiatives.

• Low- to moderate-income communities face significant transportation barriers, including unreliable transit that requires multiple connecting buses for basic services, a lack of transit options after work shifts end, and an over-reliance on unaffordable personal vehicles in rural areas.
• RMI recommends three specific electric mobility modes to improve access in Connecticut: micromobility programs in urban areas like Hartford and New Haven; carshare programs in urban and surrounding suburban regions; and microtransit programs in rural areas and urban areas to augment existing transit via extended hours or specific routes.
• Electric utilities are identified as critical partners in implementing equity-focused mobility programs, with the potential to provide support in three main areas: program administrative operations (such as technical assistance and site identification), capital expenditures (including EV infrastructure and vehicle costs), and electricity rate design to lower operating costs.

APA

RMI (2022). Charging Ahead: How to Make Electric Mobility Work for All. https://rmi.org/resources/how-to-make-electric-mobility-work-for-all/

Chicago

RMI. Charging Ahead: How to Make Electric Mobility Work for All. 2022. https://rmi.org/resources/how-to-make-electric-mobility-work-for-all/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Charging Ahead: How to Make Electric Mobility Work for All |date=15 March 2022 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/how-to-make-electric-mobility-work-for-all/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2022charging, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Charging Ahead: How to Make Electric Mobility Work for All}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/how-to-make-electric-mobility-work-for-all/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }