The nation’s leading independent electric vehicle (EV) advocacy group, Plug In America, has ranked U.S. states for positive support of EVs through their policies.
The group listed the top 25 states leading the way on EV adoption with supportive policy measures that are currently implemented or enacted that affect EV drivers before purchasing or during ownership of an EV, policies that support infrastructure build-out for manufacturing EVs, and EV education and outreach efforts.
“As the EV market is growing from the ‘early adopter’ phase to the ‘mass market’ phase, this is a crucial time to get EV policy right to support the growing number of EV drivers,” said Plug In America Executive Director Joel Levin. “Policies like the ZEV program have a major positive effect on EV sales in a given state, while the punitive EV fees that some states have enacted can have a negative impact. This report gives a snapshot of where states are today in supporting EV drivers.”
The organization said it expects 2021 to be a breakthrough year for EVs. Between new policies and programs at the state and federal level and new makes and models of EVs hitting car lots this year, the group expects sales to increase.
Ten states – California, Massachusetts, Oregon, New Jersey, Colorado, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Maine, and Washington – were the best for supporting EV drivers, the group’s report said.
These states featured incentives to purchase an EV, the most effective means of increasing EV adoption. Additionally, all 10 states have a zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) program, which provides greater access to EVs for consumers.
The group said it expects that Nevada, Minnesota, Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Maryland will be in the running to be in the top 10 states next year, as they are in the process of adopting new policies to support EV drivers.