{
  "abstract": "The rapid expansion of public charging infrastructure is essential for reducing transport emissions, but its accessibility and fairness relative to conventional fuel networks remain unclear. Here we show that public charging stations provide shorter average travel distances for most people than petrol stations, indicating improved overall accessibility. However, this advantage is not shared equally, with underserved populations experiencing poorer access. Public charging stations also display greater spatial inequality than petrol stations, reflecting their concentration in densely populated urban areas. Analysis further reveals that the socioeconomic and infrastructure factors associated with charging station inequality vary substantially across cities. These findings suggest that although the expansion of charging infrastructure has improved average access, its urban-focused and partly market-driven development may reinforce geographic disparities. Incorporating equity considerations into infrastructure planning will be important to ensure that the transition to low-carbon transport benefits all communities. This study draws on geospatial data from more than one million buildings, over 100,000 charging stations and 337 cities across China.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Electrical Engineering, Guangxi University",
    "Department of Electrical Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University",
    "National Engineering Laboratory for Big Data Analysis and Applications, Peking University",
    "MoE Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence, AI Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University",
    "School of Economics, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics",
    "Department of Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University",
    "Department of Civil and Systems Engineering (CASE), School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ruotao Yu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Bo Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Chengcheng Shao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Jianxiao Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Yanyan Xu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Kai Yang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jinghua Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Haiwang Zhong"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Daniel M. Kammen"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/et7g9w6d1ez4v.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s44458-026-00179-8",
  "fulltext_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s44458-026-00179-8",
  "id": "et7g9w6d1ez4v",
  "issns": [
    "3059-4308"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s44458-026-00179-8",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "GE1-350"
    ],
    [
      "lcc",
      "QH540-549.5"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2208|Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223123685",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s44458-026-00179-8.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-25",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/et7g9w6d1ez4v.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:45:32Z",
      "native_id": "0ea8d81b28774a31abeeef835a526344",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s44458-026-00179-8"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "lcc:QH540-549.5",
      "subfield": "ecology"
    },
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "lcc:GE1-350",
      "subfield": "environmental-science"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Electric vehicle charging infrastructure is more accessible but less equitable than petrol stations",
  "title_text": "Electric vehicle charging infrastructure is more accessible but less equitable than petrol stations",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T14:20:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/et7g9w6d1ez4v",
  "venue": "Communications Sustainability",
  "versions": []
}