Media post: Best US Cities for EV Owners

If you are considering the purchase of an Electric Vehicle (EV), there is more than just the cost of the vehicle and its driving range to consider. Hiley Volkswagen of Arlington, TX, a local Volkswagen dealer in Arlington,TX, insists that every EV driver should also investigate where the local charging stations are so they can determine whether an EV matches their driving lifestyle. Many prospective EV owners neglect to do this and can end up disappointed with their decision to buy an EV.

The good news is that most cities around the country are relatively “EV-friendly.” And some are quite ready for EV traffic. Thankfully the details of this have been researched by Indiana University and the study is available for all to see. What they did is rate cities across the nation as to their “EV-Readiness.” EV-Readiness takes into account factors such as charging station infrastructure, purchase incentives, HOV lane access, and many other variables. Using the IU study, let’s look at the top five best cities to use an EV in today.

Number Five – Denver

Denver is a great place to live when you drive an electric car. The primary reason is purchase incentives. Colorado incentives remain among the highest in the country. In fact, some buyers in Colorado can get into an EV for under $10,000. This has led directly to a high adoption rate not only in Denver but throughout the entire state.

Number Four – New York

Well, New York came in at number four. First, they have hundreds of charging stations but a caveat exists. Most of them are free but inside parking garages. This means that charging would require paying the parking garage fee. At this time there is not state purchase incentives being offered in New York but rumor is that some are on the way. Other positive factors are HOV lane access -at least on the Long Island Expressway for now.

Number Three – Baltimore

In Baltimore, you can start with $3,000 state tax credit available to all Maryland residents with EVs. Add that to the current federal tax credit of $7500 and all the sudden you can knock over $10Koff the price of your new EV. There are also 700 easy-to-access charging stations available in the Baltimore metro area. This city is ready for your EV.

Number Two – Washington, D.C.

Washington, DC is definitely courting EV owners. There aren’t any state cash purchase incentives but other incentives exist. State HOV lane access, discounted car insurance, state tax credits, and reduced registration fees are just a few. There are 100s of public charging stations to access as well. Washington DC is an excellent city to drive an EV in.

Number One – Portland

Big surprise here, Portland ranks number one among the best cities for EV drivers. It really isn’t too surprising considering that Portland is a city with many progressive initiatives in place. Charging stations? Oregon has hundreds of them and Oregonians can get up to $750 off the cost of a home charger installation. The exciting part of being an EV owner in Portland is the small size of your carbon footprint. Since there is a lot of hydroelectric power on the grid, you have an entire city that emits few emissions.