Over the past six years, automakers have grown the number of electric vehicle models available in the U.S. by 64 percent, but have been slow to capture market share, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Tuesday.
Despite growing from 58 models to 95 between 2012 and 2017, electric vehicles have consistently comprised between only 2.5 percent and 4 percent of light-duty vehicle sales nationally, EIA said.
The agency said a number of factors could be suppressing the rise of electric cars, including consistently low gas prices, rising fuel economy of gasoline-powered cars, sparse charging infrastructure, and electric car prices remaining relatively high.
In Connecticut, there were approximately 6,000 electric vehicles registered as of last year. Though sales have increased sharply since 2011, the state is expected to have difficulty meeting a 2013 pledge to get as many as 150,000 electric cars on the road by 2025.
State officials have also raised concerns about the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent decision to ease vehicle emission standards, which could affect Connecticut more than other states.
