Fix Auto Gresham

Top 5 List of Best Cities for EV Owners

Drivers all over the country want to be as green as they possibly can, so the sales of electric vehicles (EVs) are climbing at a steady rate. People are tired of depending on the constantly changing prices of gasoline, so EVs are looking more attractive for new car buyers.

But, can you recoup your investment in an EV and how quickly will it take? Well, after doing some research and weighing all of the pros and cons, we've determined that yes, indeed--EVs do make financial sense, but only if you live in certain cities and states.

At Fix Auto Gresham, we are seeing more EVs on our streets here in Portland and throughout the entire state of OR, so here is a list of the five most EV-friendly cities in the good old USA.

For this analysis, we compared the total costs of ownership for three of the most popular EVs—the Tesla Model S, the Ford Focus EV and the Nissan Leaf—to ownership costs of their gasoline-powered equivalents. We also considered retail prices for these new vehicles, including fuel and energy prices, state and local taxes, state and federal subsidies, and average miles driven.

For many years, Atlanta, Georgia was #1 on almost every list, because they used to offer amazing incentives for EV owners, including  a generous tax credit worth 20 percent of the price of any zero-emission EV, up to $5,000. But, the  Georgia legislature  voted to discontinue the subsidy starting last summer and them added a $200 registration fee for anyone who already owns one, effectively punishing EV-car owners. This now makes Georgia the second state (after Virginia) in which electric-car owners pay more in taxes for driving than do owners of gasoline and diesel cars, so both those states deserve to be in our bottom five!

1. San Francisco Bay Area

More than 48,000 EVs are registered in the San Francisco Bay Area, the largest per-capita in the U.S. This figure rose dramatically in the past year, with about 15,000 EVs registered in the area in 2014, according to recent numbers. The Bay Area is also home to the nation’s largest network of electric vehicle charging stations — making it the friendliest metro area for EV drivers.

2. Los Angeles

With nearly 57,000 registered EVs, Los Angeles has the most electric vehicles on the road of any city in the country. It was barely beaten out by San Francisco, which took top billing after accounting for population differences.

3. Seattle

Washington as a whole is a big state for EVs, with around 10,000 plug-in EVs registered in the state. EV drivers also benefit from a growing network of more than 400 charging stations — mostly concentrated in the Puget Sound Region, which includes Seattle.

4. San Diego

In September, San Diego achieved a significant milestone: surpassing 10,000 electric vehicles on the road. The city is also home to more than 600 public charging stations to serve the growing population of EV drivers.

5. Honolulu

With more than 3,000 EVs in the Honolulu region as of with almost 100 charging stations, the EV drivers of Hawaii are saying Aloha in a big way.

Sources: SmartAsset, Green Car Report and Tesla.com