WA EV Sales ‘Surge,’ But Where Will Drivers Charge Them?

The WA State Department of Ecology (DOE) has issued a new report indicating sales of EVs in our state have risen 43 percent for sales year 2023, and now make up 20 percent of all new car sales.

  DOE says EV rates climbing

 DOE claims:

 "The Alliance for Automotive Innovation’s latest report shows that electric and plug-in hybrid sales made up 18.8% of Washington’s new vehicle sales in 2023—up from 13% in 2022."

DOE says WA, OR, and CA are going against the national trend of slowing EV sales, all 3 are seeing growth. The study used by DOE shows various breakdowns of EV sales and registrations, WA state is behind only CA in many categories related to EV sales.

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However, the report also shows the availability of 'public' charging stations, whether they are government or 'private' business locations, WA state lags far behind CA.

Page 13 of the report indicates CA has just over 42,000 charging stations available to drivers publicly, however, WA state is shown with less than six thousand. 

 WA sales may be growing, but national trends are sliding.

Various sources, including the LA Times, are showing after slow growth over the last five years, EV sales nationally are dropping, since the beginning of 2023, and Kelley Blue Book shows so far in 2024 the slide continues. And, Fortune reports Ford has made large cuts in its EV programs, including the F-150 Lightning pickup.

One of the biggest issues facing WA drivers is the lack of charging stations, as shown in the Alliance for Automotive Innovation report. In order to match the state's mandate of no new fossil fuel vehicle sales after 2035, the state would need at least 3 million public charging stations.

Another looming issue in WA state is whether the power grid can support EV charging station growth. The efforts to phase out hydro, nuclear and other significant massive sources of power cast doubts on the state being able to support increased use of EVs in our state.