In early 2021, Volvo and General Motors announced plans to manufacture exclusively electric vehicles by 2030 and 2035, respectively. Two of the world’s biggest automakers going all-electric—if there were lingering doubts that electric vehicles are the future, perhaps this put it to rest.
Yet, when it comes to electric vehicles, details are still somewhat vague for the everyday person. Questions abound. For example:
- How many electric vehicles are on the road today?
- What is the forecast for electric vehicles adoption over the next several years?
- How many types, brands, and models of electric vehicles are there?
- Are electric vehicles better for the environment?
- How do you charge an electric vehicle?
- Are all electric vehicle chargers the same?
- Do electric vehicles pay road tax?
- What are the financial perks to buying an EV?
Here, we’ll answer those questions and more. Whether you’re actively looking to buy an electric vehicle, casually considering it, or just interested in learning more about your options—you’ve come to the right place. (Sources are included in the footnotes)
Sam joined Bank of the West in 2019 after more than 10 years in journalism. He’s also worked as a teacher, a grant writer, and a janitor, and prefers to spend his free time in nature.
Footnotes 
1. IEA Global EV Outlook 2020
https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2020
2. “Electric Vehicles, Setting a Course for 2030”, Deloitte
https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/future-of-mobility/electric-vehicle-trends-2030.html
3. Alternative Fuels Data Center, US Department of Energy
https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric.html
4. IEA Global electric car stock, 2010-2019
https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/global-electric-car-stock-2010-2019
5. “Here’s Every New Electric Vehicle Model for Sale in the U.S.”, Car and Driver
https://www.caranddriver.com/shopping-advice/g32463239/new-ev-models-us/
6. Best-selling plug-in electric vehicle models worldwide in 2020, Statista
https://www.statista.com/statistics/960121/sales-of-all-electric-vehicles-worldwide-by-model/
7. US Plug-in Electric Vehicle Sales by Model, US Department of Energy
https://afdc.energy.gov/data/10567
8. Tesla Models
https://www.tesla.com/models
9. “FOTW# 1167, January 4, 2021: Median Driving Range of All-Electric Vehicles Tops 250 Miles for Model Year 2020”, US Department of Energy
https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/fotw-1167-january-4-2021-median-driving-range-all-electric-vehicles-tops-250
10. New All-Electric Vehicles, US Department of Energy
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/PowerSearch.do?action=noform&path=3&year1=2020&year2=2022&vtype=Electric&srchtyp=newAfv&pageno=1&rowLimit=50
11. “Highlights of the Automotive Trends Report”, US EPA
https://www.epa.gov/automotive-trends/highlights-automotive-trends-report
12. Average Fuel Economy by Major Vehicle Category, US Department of Energy
https://afdc.energy.gov/data/10310
13. “How Long Does it Take to Charge An Electric Car?”, Nerd Wallet
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/auto-loans/how-long-does-it-take-to-charge-an-electric-car22
14. “Plug it in: Electric car charging station numbers are rising”, AP News
https://apnews.com/article/business-u-s-news-technology-detroit-electric-vehicles-0dbe44f4626fcfd6b3ccee274980188e
15. Electric Vehicle Charging Station Locations, US Department of Energy
https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity_locations.html#/find/nearest?fuel=ELEC
16. Electric Car Charging Overview, DriveCleanCA
https://driveclean.ca.gov/electric-car-charging
17. Interoperability of Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure, EPRI
https://www.eei.org/issuesandpolicy/electrictransportation/Documents/Final%20Joint%20Interoperability%20Paper.pdf
18. “How Green Are Electric Vehicles?”, New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/climate/electric-vehicles-environment.html
19. “Fact check: Electric vehicles emit fewer emissions and are better for the environment”, USA Today
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/10/17/fact-check-electric-cars-emit-less-better-environment/3671468001/
20. “Electric vs. Gas: Is It Cheaper to Drive an EV?”, NRDC
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/electric-vs-gas-it-cheaper-drive-ev
21. “California starts charging EV registration fees up to $175 in July”, Electrek
https://electrek.co/2020/07/10/california-starts-charging-ev-registration-fees-up-to-175-in-july/
22. Federal Tax Credits for New All-Electric and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles, US Department of Energy
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml
23. State Laws and Incentives, US Department of Energy
https://afdc.energy.gov/laws/state
24. Electric Vehicle (EV) Rebate Program
https://afdc.energy.gov/laws/12530