A new study from researchers at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs has ranked US cities based on their electric vehicle friendliness — incentives on offer, the availability of public charging stations, etc., with Portland, Oregon, taking the top position.
The booming northwestern city managed to top the list owing to the availability of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, a streamlined home charging-station approval process, and generous state-wide tax-credits for charging station installation.
It’s probably worth stating here that Oregon has appointed an “Electric Car Czar” — the only state in the country to have done so. And also that the state is a participant in the West Coast Electric Highway initiative, which is working to created a network of EV charging stations covering the west coast.
Green Car Reports provides more:
Portland, Oregon, was at the top of that list, which includes 36 cities. The city has a generous network of charging stations, including a block of parking spaces reserved for plug-in cars that is known as Electric Avenue.
…Portland was followed by Washington DC, Baltimore, New York City, and Denver on the Indiana University list. Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, and San Francisco rounded out the top 10. Columbus, Ohio, was at the bottom in terms of electric-car friendliness.
Cities were ranked based on factors like the availability of purchase incentives, charging-station density, and perks like free parking or solo carpool-lane access. Four of the top six cities also offer time-of-use electricity rates, while others provide at least some free parking. Nashville—the largest city near Nissan’s US headquarters—offers free parking in its downtown area, while Honolulu exempts electric-car drivers from all parking fees.
Such incentives have been becoming more common in recent times, as many cities and regions work to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.