Best States for Electric Vehicles: What Is the Most EV Friendly State?

https://www.findthebestcarprice.com/author-steve

Steve Birkett

Steve Birkett

Steve Birkett is an electric vehicle advocate based in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. He is a content creator and marketing professional who contributes written and recorded pieces to a wide range of media outlets. His analysis has been featured in Find The Best Car Price, WWLP TV, and Torque News, among others. He has also had video content featured on Inside EVs. Birkett was an EV Guide for Plug in America events in Massachusetts (Drive Electric Cambridge and Drive Electric Lowell) and Ohio (Earth Day 2019 at Cleveland Zoo). He participates in quarterly advisory panel meetings for EVolve New York (a state-level charging initiative) and has contributed to focus groups for prominent U.S. charging networks.

Birkett is a father-of-two who loves nothing more than packing up the family and hitting the road in their latest electric car, which is currently a 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5. With multiple Chevy Bolts in his past, as well as a Chevy Volt and Tesla Model 3 LR in the extended family, plus various EV rentals when he ventures back home to his native United Kingdom, Birkett has more than 100,000 all-electric miles under his belt and is always ready to try out a new electric vehicle.

For press inquiries, contact steve@findthebestcarprice.com

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The most EV-friendly states in the U.S.

It’s a well-known fact that some parts of the US are friendlier for electric vehicle owners than others.

Electric vehicle (EV) sales have grown exponentially, with major growth in the top auto markets in China, the US, and Europe. You may have even seen the major development that car manufacturer Volvo declared that every car they launch as of 2019 will have an electric motor.

The key points that attract people to electric vehicles are the low running costs and of course they are a lot more environmentally friendly than vehicles that require petrol or diesel. Buying an electric will therefore not emit any of the gases associated with global warming, thus lowering your carbon footprint.

With all the advantages of buying an electric vehicle, like free EV charging, we wanted to discover where the most electric-friendly US states were.

Due to so many factors, it’s hard to pinpoint which state is the most EV friendly but we’ve broken it down by population density, land size, and population to help people make the right decision in the EV market.

Our experts at FindTheBestCarPrice.com created a table with key information from each state like the number of EV charging points, square miles of land, and the EV charging points per square mile.

Top 10 States for EVs by Population Density

Ranked by EV Charging Points per Square Land Mile

1. Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, there are 0.0027 EV charging points per person of the population, which may not seem a lot but is the largest figure of any state.

We can thank the success of Massachusetts to the federal tax credit, which means that if you install an electric charging point you will receive a tax credit of 30% of the cost of purchasing and installing the station.

This incentive previously expired in 2017 but has now been extended through to December 2021.

2. Rhode Island

Rhode Island has 0.00021 charging points per person of the population, which shows that we are slowly moving to an electric world. This state has a program called SmartCharge Rhode Island, which aims to change drivers' behaviors; charging their vehicles during off-peak hours.

The program was launched two years ago, and participants earn $50 annually for signing up. This program allows more people to be able to charge their vehicles, and therefore more people can opt for an EV.

Ryan Cote, program manager for Electric Transportation said, “This is a really positive sign that our SmartCharge Rhode Island (RI) drivers are taking advantage of electricity overnight, when most of us are asleep and when it’s cheapest and cleanest. National Grid is happy to reward smart charging behavior like this, by offering discounted rates for off-peak charging.”

3. Maryland

Maryland is the third top state by population density with 0.00017 charging points per person. Maryland has a number of incentives to encourage people to buy an EV. An example is the Federal Income Tax Credit of up to $7,500 for the purchase of a qualifying Electric Vehicle or Plug-in Hybrid.

Top 10 States for EVs by Land Size

Ranked by EV Charging Points per Square Land Mile

1. California

California was top of the list because the state is committed to its deadlines for transitioning the state to electric buses and vehicles, as well as its initiative to subsidize those drivers who are paid lower with electric vehicles instead of older cars.

Bryan Howard, state policy director at ACEEE and lead report author said: “Transitioning to electric vehicles is vital for the climate and for reducing costs for households and businesses. The leading states are embracing this transition, but many more are just starting, even as the automakers are preparing a burst of new electric models.”

2. Colorado

Colorado offers some great incentives for EV owners through the income 69 program. It is named the “Innovative Motor Vehicle and Truck Credits for Electric and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles,” the program provides fully refundable tax credits for electric vehicles purchased between January 1, 2021, and January 1, 2026.

3. Oregon

This state has a population of 95,997 and 877 EV charging points. This state is EV-friendly mainly due to Oregon’s 50K 2020 initiative, which means that new buildings must have EV charging infrastructure.

Top 10 States for EVs by Population

Ranked by EV Charging Points per Person

1. California

California was also top of this list with 13,331 EV charging points, this means there are 0.00034 charging points per person in the state. California is committed to its deadlines for transitioning the state to electric buses and vehicles, as well as its initiative to subsidize those drivers who are paid lower with electric vehicles instead of older cars.

2. Georgia

With a population of 10,711,90, there have been more than 6,000 EV’s sold in Georgia in 2018, an increase of 147% compared to the year before. To support the drivers of the 30,000 EVs on the road in this state, Georgia has 1,485 available EV charging stations.

3. New York

New York has 47,214 square miles of land and 2,694 EV charging points, and this state has a number of programs to encourage people to go electric such as:

New York Make-Ready is a $700 million statewide program that creates the infrastructure to support 850,000 EVs by 2025.

Furthermore, the ​​Charge Ready NY rebate provides up to $4,000 per Level 2 charging station installed at most parking lots.

Top 10 Cities for EVs

Breaking it down further, we looked at the U.S’s top 10 biggest cities by population and found out how many charging stations they had.

New York is the U.S’s most populated city and has 2,694 EV chargers, this is 12.32% of the state’s EV chargers.

Chicago is the U.S’s third largest city, and is home to 907 EV charging stations - which is 27.45% of the state’s total chargers. This is the highest percentage seen throughout the cities researchers looked at.

To round things up...

The most EV-friendly states by population density are:

• Massachusetts
• Rhode Island
• Maryland

The most EV-friendly states by land size are:

• California
• Colorado
• Oregon

The most EV-friendly states by population are:

• California
• Georgia
• New York

What Charging Infrastructure Can the US Look Foward To?

Although there is room for improvement, the US has over 543,000 EV’s registered and over 100,000 public chargers.

President Joe Biden has vowed to make the US’s entire federal fleet all electric. Although this hasn’t been completely achieved, the White House has already introduced two bills to reform the federal tax credit for Electric Vehicles.

There will also be an increase in the number of EV manufacturers such as Tesla and plans to expand EV charging infrastructure around the country.

To ensure the growth of EV’s, it is imperative that people have accessible fast-charging stations away from their home or workplace at competitive prices.

Although we understand more about which states are more EV-friendly than others, it is uncertain how quickly charging infrastructure will be put in place and how it will exactly look like.