Yahoo Autos Electric Vehicle and Hybrid Demand: The Best and Worst States for Green Vehicle Adoption
Summary:
Alaska, West Virginia, and Colorado had the highest growth in alternative-energy vehicles over the past 5 years, roughly tripling their EV and hybrid market share
States with the lowest growth in EV and hybrid share include Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and California
Colorado’s large 15.1 percent jump in EV and hybrid share make it the best state for improved miles per gallon over the past 5 years, rising from 23.6 MPG to 27.2 MPG
Overall 5-year EV and hybrid market share growth rate jumped from 33.3 percent in 2022 to 85.3 percent in 2023
The US market share for electric and hybrid vehicles grew 85.3 percent between 2018 and 2023. That’s almost three times the rate it grew between 2017 and 2022, confirming a massive uptick in hybrid and EV sales in just the past year, according to a new study by iSeeCars.com. For individual states, the changes in market share growth over the past 5 years range from a high of 272.1 percent in Alaska to just 43.7 percent in Hawaii.
iSeeCars analyzed over 20 million 1- to 5-year-old used cars on the road in 2018 and 2023 to determine the share of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles in the US.
“Several states you wouldn't associate with hybrid and electric vehicles saw the most growth over the past 5 years, including Alaska, West Virginia, Louisiana, Wyoming, Arkansas, and North Dakota,” said Karl Brauer, iSeeCars.com Executive Analyst. “Then you have Washington, California, and Oregon, three states most people would associate with environmental activism that ranked 45th, 46th, and 49th out of 50 in hybrid and electric vehicle market share growth.”
The 10 Best States for (Still Very Low) EV and Hybrid Market Share
Despite substantial increases over the past year, half of the top 10 states still have less than 3 percent market share for hybrid and electric vehicles, suggesting there is plenty of room for more growth.
“You look at the market share for states like Louisiana or North Dakota and realize it doesn’t take much growth in alternative fuel vehicle sales to reflect large jumps in overall share,” said Brauer.
US States With Highest Growth in Electric Vehicle/Hybrid Share - iSeeCars Study | |||||
Rank (2023) | State | 5 Year % Change in Alternative Fuel Share (2018-2023) | % Share Alternative Fuel 2023 | Rank (2022) | 5 Year % Change in Alternative Fuel Share (2017-2022) |
1 | Alaska | 272.1% | 3.8% | 3 | 102.2% |
2 | West Virginia | 200.9% | 2.0% | 16 | 46.9% |
3 | Colorado | 184.9% | 6.1% | 11 | 60.1% |
4 | New Jersey | 169.4% | 3.5% | 5 | 81.6% |
5 | Louisiana | 152.9% | 1.5% | 9 | 60.9% |
6 | Wyoming | 150.9% | 2.0% | 2 | 131.2% |
7 | Arkansas | 148.5% | 2.2% | 4 | 94.4% |
8 | North Dakota | 140.8% | 1.9% | 38 | 24.9% |
9 | Virginia | 126.1% | 5.3% | 21 | 45.6% |
10 | Maryland | 123.8% | 4.9% | 7 | 68.3% |
National Average | 85.3% | 4.1% | – | 33.3% | |
The 10 Worst States for EV and Hybrid Market Share: Surprisingly Little Green Growth in Traditionally Green States
Hawaii is the lowest-growth state in hybrid and electric vehicle market share, which isn’t too surprising given the state’s high cost for these models and for all vehicles. But seeing Oregon as the second lowest, with Washington and California among the bottom 10, is surprising.
“California, Washington, and Oregon are the top three states in terms of alternative fuel vehicle share,” said Brauer. “But they are also among the lowest in raising hybrid and electric vehicle share over the past 5 years, suggesting there may be a market threshold for alternative fuel vehicle share, above which it gets much more difficult to grow.”
US States With Least Growth in Electric Vehicle/Hybrid Share - iSeeCars Study | |||||
Rank (2023) | State | 5 Year % Change in Alternative Fuel Share (2018-2023) | % Share Alternative Fuel 2023 | Rank (2022) | 5 Year % Change in Alternative Fuel Share (2017-2022) |
50 | Hawaii | 43.7% | 5.2% | 34 | 30.3% |
49 | Oregon | 47.8% | 6.7% | 49 | 2.9% |
48 | New Mexico | 53.1% | 3.3% | 42 | 17.3% |
47 | Vermont | 53.1% | 3.7% | 23 | 44.3% |
46 | California | 63.5% | 10.1% | 32 | 35.0% |
45 | Washington | 63.6% | 8.1% | 47 | 13.7% |
44 | South Carolina | 64.1% | 2.4% | 50 | 2.3% |
43 | Kansas | 65.3% | 3.2% | 43 | 16.9% |
42 | Michigan | 67.2% | 2.4% | 31 | 35.7% |
41 | Georgia | 70.0% | 3.4% | 48 | 12.0% |
National Average | 85.3% | 4.1% | – | 33.3% | |
