Which US state is greener? Which is not very electric vehicle (EV) friendly? Such were the questions CarMax asked in its recent survey of the top 10 states for sales of these eco-friendly vehicles in 2018.
What’s The Best State In The US For Driving Clean Cars?
It will probably come as little surprise to find that the state of California comes out at the top. It is indeed the friendliest state for EVs, plug-in hybrids, and hybrids in the US.
The next two states for eco-friendly vehicle sales were Oregon and Washington, according to the CarMax findings.
What also caught our attention were the worse places, the places with the lowest sales of hybrids and EVs: Louisiana (1.57%), Mississippi (1.54%), and Delaware (1.44%).
Getting back to the good ones, after the top three mentioned above, the list goes on with Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Virginia rounding out the top 10.
Why Do People Want An Electrified Vehicle?
Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards are forcing automakers to lower gas consumption and cut their emissions, and are a major driving force behind EV demand — because they make automakers make cars that people want.
Hybrid technology is the easiest way traditional carmakers can get close to the future 50 miles per gallon (mpg) target set by CAFE. Increasingly, due to ZEV mandates and a tech transition, those automakers are jumping past hybrids and offering electric vehicles. But there is still much room to grow.
Considering that affordable EVs can now reach 150 to 258 miles on a single charge, arguing in favor of gas cars (including conventional hybrids) is becoming difficult. However, CarMax is stuck in the hybrid mindset. The CarMax article focuses mostly on hybrids and mentions the obvious gap between regular gas cars and hybrids. It shows how the 2016 Ford Fusion 2.5L gas engine with an automatic transmission only averages 26 mpg combined city/highway mpg, whereas the 2016 Fusion Hybrid hits 41 mpg (combined). That is an improvement, but what about a fully electric Fusion? Oh yeah, there isn’t one, and Ford won’t make one.
CarMax estimates there were 4 million hybrids and EVs on the road in the US by 2018. Most of those buyers have gotten a foot in the electric door with a hybrid, but these days they should realize the latest fully electric vehicles are a step up. Considering the Hyundai Kona EV’s 258 mile range, the soon-to-be-released Kia e-Niro’s 240 mile range, and of course what the Tesla Model 3 offers, what’s to be afraid of, America?
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