The 5 Best States to Visit With Your EV
Genevieve Fraser
· 4 min read
There is little debate that
electric vehicles
(EVs) will be the future of the automotive world. Some Americans have embraced this, as a recent report found that Tesla has wide appeal
across the generations. Others are hesitant to make the switch.There is, however, a debate as to which state is best prepared for EVs, now and in the future. With that in mind, we took a closer look at a recently published report which ranks each state’s EV friendliness.
Here’s more information about what makes a state EV-friendly, and a list of the best states to visit with your EV.
What makes a state friendly for electric vehicles?
Bumper
scored each state on several key metrics to come up with the rankings. The financial incentives score looks at everything from tax rebates to the average savings of charging versus refueling with gasoline. Bumper also came up with an overall EV infrastructure score. The score is based on the
ratio of charging stations
per 100,000 people, Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) ports per 100 stations and per 100 EV registrations, as well as the percentage of EV registrations out of all state car registrations.So which states have the best scores for EV programs and supporting infrastructure?
The top states for EVs
Washington. The Evergreen State is the most EV-friendly state in the union. A big reason for this is the financial incentives for car drivers to make the switch to electric. Out of all states, Washingtonians have the greatest economic incentive to ditch the pump for the plug.
Utah. The state known for its beehive road signs ranks second overall. Utah ranks well thanks to their financial incentives and their impressive number of EV chargers. Not to mention, it has big plans to expand its EV infrastructure even further in the near future according to the
Daily Herald
, injecting up to $50 million in funding.Colorado. Colorado has gone green in more ways than one based on this report. While Colorado doesn't have as many charging stations as California, it still makes the top five. Plus, its financial incentives encourage EV adoption.
Massachusetts. The Codfish State is the fourth friendliest for EVs. This comes as no surprise, as the state government offers rebates of up to $2,500 for buying or leasing an EV, according to
MOR-EV
. Additionally, more than 1,600 new charging stations have been installed in Massachusetts over the last four-and-a-half years. State lawmakers have also approved $470 million in spending for programs aiming to improve EV infrastructure, as reported by Energy News Network
.California. We would be surprised if
California
didn't rank high on this list given The Golden State's reputation. It turns out that Californians really do love their EVs. While California does rank high for EV infrastructure, it was just shy of the top 10 for financial incentives—a comparatively low ranking for a state that otherwise took top spots in all other categories.Of all the electric vehicles in the United States, just over 40% are registered in California—miles ahead of runner-up Florida’s 5.7%. Although, only 1.36% of registered vehicles in California are electric, and this is the highest percentage in the country.
Clearly, we still have some work to do to reach nationwide
goals for widespread electric adoption
, but Washington, Utah, Colorado, Massachusetts, and California are leading the pack. Visiting any of them with your EV would probably make for a positive experience.What other factors impact EV adoption?
While one might expect this list to echo the differences between red states and blue states, the findings are a bit more nuanced.
Rather than red vs. blue, it seems that geography is a bigger influence. For example, seven of the 10 best states for EVs are west of the Mississippi, including red Nevada and Utah. Of the 10 worst states, all are in the East or Midwest, with the exception of Alaska.
Regardless of which state you drive in,
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