A new report from a Washington, D.C.-based think tank says Connecticut’s government policies are 13th best among states for helping to enable the adoption of electric vehicles.
The nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s “State Transportation Electrification Scorecard” analyzes the extent to which each state helps businesses and consumers clear various hurdles to buying and owning electric vehicles, such as purchase rebates, providing larger networks of chargers and setting lower electricity rates at night for charging.
The first-of-its-kind report is a bit of a pivot for ACEEE, which is perhaps best known for ranking state-level energy efficiency policies — reports in which Connecticut has consistently placed in the top 10.
Incentives, planning and goals, and outcomes were the three largest categories scored in ACEEE’s new electric vehicle report.
California was the clear winner in the new ranking, netting 91 of a possible 100 points from ACEEE. New York was the next closest, earnings 63.5 points.
Though ACEEE called Connecticut “a regional standout” outside of the top 10, the state earned 38.5 points, ahead of Nevada and behind Minnesota.
Connecticut’s incentives were deemed 19th best among states.
The categories in which the state scored poorly in the report were outcomes and equity, earning 6 of 21 points and zero of 10 points, respectively.
In the outcomes category, Connecticut was docked for its electric vehicle registrations and charging facilities per capita, as well as its progress on reducing transportation-related greenhouse gases. A lack of zero-emission buses also cost the state points, though a mandate to purchase them moving forward gained the state points in the “transportation system efficiency” category, where Connecticut scored third best.
More than half of states scored no points in the equity category.
ACEEE highlighted several states where government or utility policies have minimum spending carve-outs for low-income and environmental justice communities, as well as electric school bus programs.
“Transitioning to electric vehicles is vital for the climate and for reducing costs for households and businesses,” Bryan Howard, ACEEE’s state policy director and lead author of the report, said in a statement. “The leading states are embracing this transition, but many more are just starting, even as the automakers are preparing a burst of new electric models.”
