Analysis of Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Usage in Proximity to Charging Infrastructure in Indiana

Abstract

This paper explores the movement of connected vehicles in Indiana for vehicles classified by the NHTSA Product Information Catalog Vehicle listing as being either electric (EV) or hybrid electric (HV). Analysis of trajectories from July 12-18, 2021 for the state of Indiana observed nearly 33,300 trips and 267,000 vehicle miles travelled (VMT) for the combination of EV and HV. Approximately 53% of the VMT occurred in just 10 counties. For just EVs, there were 9814 unique trips and 64,700 Electric Vehicle Miles Traveled (EVMTs) in total. A further categorization of this revealed that 18% of these EVMTs were on Interstate roadways and 82% on non-interstate roads. Proximity analysis of existing DC Fast charging stations in relation to interstate roadways revealed multiple charging deserts that would be most benefited by additional charging capacity. Eleven roadway sections among the 9 interstates were found to have a gap in available DC fast chargers of 50 miles or more. Although the connected vehicle data set analyzed did not include all EV’s the methodology presented in this paper provides a technique that can be scaled as additional EV connected vehicle data becomes available to agencies. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for transportation agencies and automotive vendors to strengthen their data sharing partnerships to help accelerate the adoption of EV and reduce consumer range anxiety with EV. Graphics are included that illustrate examples of counties that are both overserved and underserved by charging infrastructure.