5 States Where Owning an EV Might Prove Challenging

Apr 02, 2023

Some states are seeing an explosion in the number of EVs and supporting infrastructure, while others seem to be lagging behind.

Electric vehicle sales are soaring, but not to the same extent in all US states. If you're looking to be an EV owner, you may want to make sure the state you live in is EV-friendly. There are a couple of factors to think about when assessing how EV-friendly a particular place is.

Unfortunately, there are several states in particular where an EV may not be worth owning.

In determining which states are not the best for owning an EV, we focused on two factors: the number of chargers and the availability of purchase incentives in the form of tax credits or rebates. We only included public charging stations, which feature all types of EV charging connectors.

According to the US Department of Energy, as of May 2023, there were approximately 53,103 public EV charging stations and 137,559 ports available for use in the entire US. For context, EV sales topped 800,000 in 2022. Data from the Department of Energy also shows that only 19 of the 50 states (38%) offer incentives for purchasing EVs.

Here are the five states we found to be the least EV-friendly in the US.

There are approximately 495 public chargers available for use in South Carolina currently (according to Department of Energy data as of May 2023). The cities of Charleston, Greenville, Columbia, and Myrtle Beach have the highest concentrations of charging stations, which may make road trip planning tricky given how far apart these places are.

According to a study published by LendingTree, South Carolina offers no state tax credits, rebates, or other EV purchase incentives at this time. Considering BMW invested nearly $2 billion in its South Carolina plant last year to prepare it for building EVs, the state's lack of charging infrastructure appears almost ironic.

Alabama comes in fourth on our list. Home of Mercedes-Benz's new EV production operations, it has approximately 323 EV public charging stations. The Birmingham area, specifically along the Interstate 20 corridor, contains the largest cluster of these charging stations.

The state of Alabama also does not offer any tax credits or rebates for the purchase of an electric vehicle.

New Mexico has approximately 302 public charging stations spread throughout the entire state. Known as the "Land of Enchantment" for its diverse landscapes of mountains and deserts, it may prove difficult to enjoy driving an EV in this state unless you stay close to Albuquerque or Santa Fe.

The State of New Mexico does not offer any EV credits or rebates currently, but legislators recently advanced a package that introduced details of a potential state-sourced tax credit, according to The Associated Press.

Louisiana is the second-worst EV-friendly state in the US. With just 245 EV charging stations available in total, most are located closer to the coast, between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, along Interstate 10.

The state does not offer any purchase incentives. Actually, the state charges owners additional registration fees for electric vehicles and plug-hybrid electric vehicles. We've weighed the pros and cons of plug-in hybrids and EVs if you are unsure which type of electrified vehicle would suit you.

If you live in Mississippi and want an EV, you may have a hard time finding a charger. There are around 155 public EV chargers in the entire state, and most can be found near Interstate 10 and Interstate 20.

While Alaska has fewer chargers (just 61), it at least offers a tax credit for buying an EV. The state of Mississippi does not, making it even less EV-friendly.

Even though EV sales will continue to grow in the US, not every state will cater to this growth in the same way as others. Lack of investment in charging infrastructure or offering state-sourced purchase incentives (like tax credits or rebates) is a clear indication of a state's commitment to an all-electric automotive future. Owning an EV is not impossible in our list of the least EV-friendly states in the US, especially if you plan to charge at home, but it may be less affordable or less convenient than in other states.

Geoff is a Staff Writer for MakeUseOf with a deep passion for all things automotive. As much as he loves being in the driver's seat, he is fascinated by the future of self-driving cars. He graduated with an MBA in 2016 and has enjoyed covering the auto industry in his free time since 2019. His byline can also be found on IB Auto Group and Vehicle History.