Electric vehicle registrations in Connecticut shot up nearly 26% in 2019, fueled mainly by the growing popularity of Tesla vehicles.
That’s according to the EV Club of Connecticut, which analyzed the latest available registration data from the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The total number of registered electric vehicles as of Jan. 2020, is 11,677, up from 9,289 last year; 6,6264 in 2018; and 4,646 in 2017, according to data presented on the EV Club’s interactive online dashboard.
For the first time, there are now more registered battery electric vehicles (which include the Tesla Model 3, Model S and Model X, as well as the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt) than there are plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (such as the Toyota Prius plug-in and the Chevy Volt), the EV Club said.
There were 6,172 battery electric vehicles registered in the state as of January vs. 5,480 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles registered. A year ago, plug-in hybrid registrations held a 5,063 to 4,208 advantage.
While EV registrations saw growth in 2019 there are headwinds. Barry Kresch, who handles data analysis for the EV Club, recently wrote in the Hartford Business Journal, that the state’s decision to reduce the size of its EV incentives for car buyers will stunt future sales.Â
With more data now in hand, Kresch wrote last week that the policy change is continuing to slow registration growth in Connecticut, as national sales trends see higher growth. Indeed, the 26% growth rate in Connecticut registrations in 2019 was well behind the 78% growth rate a year earlier.
