Plugging into Mobility Needs at Lower-Income Multifamily Housing

This report by RMI outlines strategies for developing equitable electric vehicle (EV) charging and shared mobility solutions for lower-income residents of multifamily housing in the United States, based on engagements in Portland, Atlanta, and Phoenix.

• Lower-income residents of multifamily housing face barriers to EV adoption because charging access is currently concentrated in higher-income communities with single-family housing, despite the fact that 40 percent of Americans in the largest US cities reside in multifamily housing.
• To ensure an equitable transition to transportation electrification, RMI recommends that stakeholders prioritize community engagement, foster affordability through infrastructure incentives, implement multimodal solutions (such as carshares, electric scooters, and bikes), and form inclusive local partnerships between city officials, utilities, and community-based organizations.
• Effective charging infrastructure development for lower-income multifamily housing requires designing for local context—specifically regarding charger location, panel upgrades, and maintenance costs—and utilizing an incremental change approach to map out how solutions build over time.

APA

RMI (2024). Plugging into Mobility Needs at Lower-Income Multifamily Housing. https://rmi.org/resources/plugging-into-mobility-needs-at-lower-income-multifamily-housing/

Chicago

RMI. Plugging into Mobility Needs at Lower-Income Multifamily Housing. 2024. https://rmi.org/resources/plugging-into-mobility-needs-at-lower-income-multifamily-housing/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Plugging into Mobility Needs at Lower-Income Multifamily Housing |date=29 May 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/plugging-into-mobility-needs-at-lower-income-multifamily-housing/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2024plugging, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Plugging into Mobility Needs at Lower-Income Multifamily Housing}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = may, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/plugging-into-mobility-needs-at-lower-income-multifamily-housing/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }