Suggested Citation:
Kwon, Kihyun and Gil Tal (2025)

Evaluating Spatial Equality of DC Fast Charging Infrastructure: A Case Study of California

This study aims to assess the spatial distribution of direct current (DC) fast charging infrastructure with a focus on differences between urban and rural areas in California. We first measured the spatial accessibility of DC fast charging infrastructure using a two-step floating catchment area method. Second, we estimated spatial equality of measured accessibility using the Lorenz curves and Gini coefficients and compared them between urban and rural areas. Key findings from our empirical results are as follows. First, relatively low accessibility, indicating spatial mismatch between DC fast charging infrastructure and charging demand, is observed in certain regions. Second, low spatial accessibility is presented in many rural areas. In other words, many rural areas cannot access DC fast charging infrastructure within 15 min by driving. Third, we observed high inequality in the distribution of DC fast charging infrastructure in California. In particular, the Lorenz line in rural areas denotes significantly uneven spatial distribution of DC fast charging infrastructure. Therefore, the results provide evidence suggesting that additional public DC fast charging infrastructure needs to be installed throughout California for the purpose of additionality to home and workplace chargers.