In 2023, the electric vehicle (EV) market in the United States witnessed significant growth, with new light-duty EV sales reaching approximately 1.4 million vehicles, up from nearly 1 million the previous year states International Council on Clean Transportation, ICCT. This surge contributed to an overall EV sales share of about 9% across the country, highlighting varying adoption rates among different states.
State-Level Growth Metrics
Figure 1 illustrates key metrics for EV market growth across the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia in 2023. States adopting California’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) regulations, marked as “ZEV states,” generally showed higher EV sales shares compared to “non-ZEV states.” Specifically, the top 10 markets for EV sales, predominantly ZEV states, boasted sales shares exceeding 11%.
Areas with higher EV sales shares also exhibited robust deployment of charging infrastructure. For instance, the top 10 markets averaged close to 980 public and workplace chargers per million residents, significantly higher than non-ZEV states’ average of around 320 chargers.
Incentives and Model Availability
Figure 2 emphasizes the relationship between ZEV regulations, EV model availability, and sales. ZEV states typically offered more EV models—around 60 on average—compared to non-ZEV states with an average of 46 models. This availability correlated strongly with higher EV uptake, where states with more models generally reported higher sales shares.
In terms of incentives, most ZEV states provided purchase incentives for battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), averaging about $2,000. In contrast, non-ZEV states like Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Texas also offered incentives but on a smaller scale and to fewer consumers.
Leading States in EV Adoption
California led the nation with the highest EV sales share of 26.4% in 2023. Other top-performing ZEV states included New York, New Jersey, Washington, Colorado, and Massachusetts, collectively representing half of the U.S. EV market with robust model availability exceeding 74 models.
Conclusion
Overall, the data underscores the pivotal role of ZEV regulations in driving EV adoption and infrastructure development across U.S. states. While some non-ZEV states like Texas and Florida exhibited high EV model availability due to their large vehicle markets, ZEV regulations remained instrumental in fostering higher EV sales shares and expanding sustainable mobility options nationwide.
