Graduation Year
2023
Date of Submission
5-2023
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Environment, Economics, and Politics (EEP)
Reader 1
Professor William Ascher
Abstract
As the need to reduce carbon emissions becomes more urgent, electric vehicles are becoming an increasingly popular solution. Last year, California, a leader in climate policy, mandated that 100 percent of new vehicle sales must be zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035. ZEVs will rule the freeways of California eventually, but uncertainty remains in terms of when and how this shift will occur. This thesis delves into the barriers still at hand in order to accelerate and promote an equitable and effective transition to ZEVs, primarily looking at total cost of ownership (TCO), lack of adequate charging infrastructure, and slow vehicle turnover. Creating a model to estimate TCO, this thesis finds that electric vehicles (EVs) and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) will reach cost parity this year for some models. Used vehicles are expected to achieve price parity between EVs and ICEVs by 2029, while it is anticipated that price parity for new vehicles will be reached after 2030. Finally, it evaluates and recommends policy options for California, concluding that charging infrastructure investment should be a top priority.
Recommended Citation
Streufert, Stella, "Accelerating California's Transition toward an Electric Transportation Sector" (2023). CMC Senior Theses. 3258.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/3258
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
