A new white paper from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) examines the leading regional markets in the US for EVs, and analyzes the policy actions that support their success. The assessment includes state policy (regulation, purchasing incentives), local policy (parking and lane access incentives, building codes), utility actions (charging infrastructure incentives, preferential charging rates), and public charging availability.

In “Identifying the leading regional electric vehicle markets in the United States,” Irene Kwan and her colleagues divide the US into six regions, and identify four or five metro areas with the highest rates of EV adoption in each region. Several of the 26 EV hotspots will be familiar to Charged readers, including Indianapolis, Nashville, Seattle, Portland, San Jose and San Francisco.

Not surprisingly, the authors found that the metro areas with the most EVs have more than the average number of “promotion actions” in place. Some have 20 or more pro-EV measures of one kind or another in effect.

“The leading electric vehicle markets identified here are a collection of larger high-technology cities, as well as smaller university towns,” write Kwan and colleagues. “From this analysis it seems clear that the electric vehicle market is emerging, albeit concentrated within pockets. Widespread adoption of actions like those in place in the leading electric vehicle markets will continue to encourage broader expansion of the market.”

Source: ICCT via Green Car Congress