Plug-in electric vehicle readiness: Rating cities in the United States

Abstract

In order to accelerate the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (PEV), many municipalities, along with their parent states, offer a variety of benefits to owners and operators of PEVs to make PEV adoption easier and more affordable. Example benefits include financial incentives, infrastructure perks, such as access to high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, and streamlined processes for installing charging equipment. Additionally, some cities are making investments in PEVs and PEV infrastructure for both municipal and public use. However, the policies of states and cities are by no means uniform, and some jurisdictions are doing more than others to promote PEVs. This study presents an index that identifies and ranks the “readiness” of 36 major U.S. cities to deploy electric vehicles. Readiness is the degree to which adoption of electric vehicles is supported, as reflected in the presence of various types of policy instruments, infrastructure development, municipal investments in PEV technology, and participation in relevant stakeholder coalitions. The study also compares cities within states that participate in the Zero Emission Vehicle program, with those that do not, with the objective to understand whether participation in that program has a meaningful impact on PEV readiness.