How 8 States Are Working to Make It Easier to Own Electric Vehicles
November 12th, 2013 by Fiedler Group
Eight states — California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont — represent more than 25 percent of the national car market.
In an effort to turnaround the uninspired sales of electric cars, those states recently committed to work together to adopt a range of initiatives to make it easier — and more attractive — to own electric vehicles.
And despite the lackluster sales reported by the New York Times, other sources including Green Car Reports and Recargo, PlugShare and PlugInCars.com present a different story — one of impressive growth among electric car charging stations as well as the number of electric and hybrid cars on the road.
Where in 2011, only 1,972 electric charging stations were reported nationally, that figure ballooned to over 20,000 stations in 2013.
The same upward trend is seen when considering the number of electric and hybrid vehicles on the road.
In 2011, only 10,142 electric vehicles and 7,671 plug-in hybrids were reported. Contrast that with the projection that by the end of 2013, over 170,000 plug-in vehicles (both electric and hybrid) will be driving on U.S. roads.
And yet, the goal of the coalition of eight states working jointly is to achieve sales of at least 3.3 million vehicles that don’t emit emissions by the year 2025.
The plan? To develop charging stations that all take the same form of payment, simplify building codes and regulations for installing chargers at workplaces and residential homes, as well as promoting hydrogen fueling stations and their fuel-cell vehicles — which they expect to be more widely available.
All together, the hope is to address the primary concern and central obstacle of owning plug-in vehicles — the lack of a proper network of charging stations along main corridors.
To learn more about how Fiedler Group plays a role in the development of alternative fuels — including electric charging stations and hydrogen — please contact us!
