Virginia's EV driving use by county
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Richmond EV drivers log some of the lowest electric vehicle miles driven in the Richmond region — and all of Central Virginia.
What's happening: Richmond saw an estimated 87 electric vehicle miles driven per 1,000 residents on a typical weekday in the second quarter of 2023, according to data shared with Axios.
- That's less than neighboring Chesterfield and Henrico, which saw 192 and 204 EV miles per 1,000 people driven, respectively.
- And significantly less than the surprise top EV driving county in the region: Goochland, which saw 604 electric vehicle miles driven per 1,000 residents in the same period.
How it works: The data, from mobility analytics platform Replica, is based on anonymized mobile device info, roadside sensors, transit agencies and more.
- The national rate is about 227 EV miles per 1,000 residents and 23,660 miles per all cars, including the classic gas guzzlers.
Why it matters: State law is pushing Virignians to buy electric to reduce carbon pollution.
- The commonwealth is set to require every new car sold be fully electric by 2035 under a law passed in 2021 modeled on California standards.
- State lawmakers tried and failed to repeal the measure earlier this year.
The big picture: Much of the country's EV use is concentrated in the "four corners" of California, the Pacific Northwest, the Northeast and the Southeast.
- Two glaring exceptions? Colorado and Hawai'i.
Zoom out: Electric car sales are booming, but remain short of automakers' hopes and dreams as some potential buyers continue to be skeptical about their range, performance and cost.
- Several major automakers, including Ford, General Motors and others, are recalibrating their electric car ambitions after lower-than-expected sales.
Zoom in: The first tiered threshold for Virginia goes into effect next year, requiring roughly 8% of all vehicles sold to be electric.
- And the state may be on target to hit that: EVs accounted for 9% of all vehicles sold in the first eight months of 2023, per the Times-Dispatch.
- That's up from 6% last year and 3% in 2021.
The bottom line: The story this map ultimately tells? The electric car revolution is happening — it's just unevenly distributed.