The past year has delivered two monumental wins for electric cars in the United States. Last November, the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law unleashed a $7.5 billion investment to build out a national network of electric vehicle chargers. Then, the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August established a $7,500 tax credit for qualifying EV buyers.
As the federal government strengthens its support for EV use, Bumper.com updates its 2021 analysis of which states are best positioned for the growing demand for electric cars.
Bumper.com’s 2022 evaluation is based on 11 metrics on state electric vehicle infrastructure and financial incentives. These metrics include the numbers of electric cars and EV charging stations in the state, as well as financial incentives like state tax rebates and the local price of gas versus the cost of EV charging.
Maryland is the best state overall for owning an electric vehicle; South Carolina is the worst. Following Maryland, the top states are New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Vermont. Following South Carolina, the next worst states are Tennessee, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Alabama.
The best states are:
Maryland
New York
Massachusetts
Pennsylvania
Vermont
New Jersey
California
Virginia
Utah
Rhode Island
The worst states are:
South Carolina
Tennessee
Kentucky
Wisconsin
Alabama
Maryland tops the charts for having the best financial incentives to own an EV; Arkansas comes in last. Rounding out the top five for EV financial incentives are New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Joining Arkansas at the bottom are Kentucky, Kansas, Iowa and Tennessee.
Rhode Island is the state with the best EV infrastructure; Wisconsin has the worst. Following Rhode Island, the best states for EV infrastructure are Massachusetts, Utah, Vermont and California. The worst, following Wisconsin, are South Carolina, Louisiana, Idaho and Indiana.
Nevada has the highest cost savings per 1,000 miles for EV drivers compared to gas-powered drivers; Connecticut has the lowest. Which states get more financial mileage switching to electric? We compared the local cost of electricity versus August gas prices to drive 1,000 miles (based on the national average of 25.7 miles per gallon of gas and one kilowatt hour per 3 miles of EV driving time).
For more info on this and the complete study, click here.
