Utah Foundation releases Driving Toward a Cleaner Future: Alternative Fuel Vehicles in Utah. The report examines the incentives and disincentives around electric cars, as well as the policy decisions around preparation for a wide proliferation of electric vehicles in the future. It also examines the incentives and requirements around public and private heavy-duty fleet vehicles.
Key findings of the study include:
- Electric vehicles – or battery electric cars and plug-in hybrids – accounted for less than 2% of the nation’s new vehicle market share in 2018. In Utah, electric’s market share was about 1.6%.
- Addressing the fears of consumers is a core challenge in alternative fuel vehicle adoption. Less than a quarter of Americans consider purchasing electric cars because of concerns about running out of power, the availability of charging stations and initial vehicle cost.
- In looking at Norway and the top-tier states for market share, it appears that electric vehicle incentives work when offered at a robust level. Changing market preferences appear to be a much stronger force than smaller incentives.
- Utah’s relatively small electric vehicle tax credit was not renewed in 2016, yet electric vehicle market share has continued to increase.