Study: Michigan behind in EV readiness

Detroit may be the Motor City, but the state of Michigan ranks poorly in its preparation for electric vehicle readiness.

Michigan ranks 32nd in the number of charging stations and No. 40 in the best and worst states to own electric cars, according to bumper.com.

President Joe Biden has called for half of all new vehicles to be electric or hybrid electric cars by 2030. Several major manufacturers, including Volkswagen, General Motors, Volvo and Audi, pledged to stop selling internalcombustion vehicles in the next 15 years. Meanwhile, demand for electric cars is far outstripping supply. Industry leader Tesla broke $1 billion in quarterly income for the first time in July. Kelly Blue Book reports electric vehicle sales in the second quarter of this year were up 255% year-over-year.

Some states are making it easier for consumers and residents to make the switch from gas-powered vehicles by providing better infrastructure and incentives for EVs. Interestingly, California accounts for 41.73% of all

EV registered vehicles in the United States on it’s own, while the next closest state, Florida, drops to roughly 6%.

The bumper.com study ranks states looking at 10 metrics — five related to infrastructure, such as availability and growth of EV charging stations, and five related to financial considerations, including the cost to purchase and power EV cars and the average travel time to work.

In addition, Michigan ranked 37th in available electric vehicle financial incentives, 40th in EV infrastructure, 21st in EV registrations, and 30th in

EV registrations as part of the percentage of total state vehicles.

Washington is the best state for owning an electric vehicle; Alaska is the worst. Washington and Illinois are the top states for financial incentives to own an EV. Vermont and California top the list for best electric vehicle infrastructure. California and New York are leading the growth for the total number of new EV charge stations.

Overall, the top five states to own an electric vehicle in are Washington, Utah, Colorado, Massachusetts, and California.