Plug-in electric vehicles in Texas

Nissan Leaf charging in Houston

As of 18 April 2023, there were 185,511 electric vehicles registered in Texas.[1]

Government policy

[edit]

In November 2013, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved a rebate program to provide financial incentives up to $2,500 for the purchase or lease of new eligible vehicles powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), or plug-in electric drive with battery capacity larger than 4 kWh, from a licensed dealer or leasing company.[2] Total funding for the program was US$7.7 million, and the maximum number of vehicles allowed was 2,000 units for each plug-in electric drive and natural gas/propane vehicles for the length of the program.[2][3] The program was in effect from May 13, 2014 until June 26, 2015.

As of May 2022, the state government offers tax rebates of $2,500 for electric vehicle purchases.[4]

As of May 2022, the state government charges a $150 annual registration fee for electric vehicles.[5]

Charging stations

[edit]

As of August 2022, there were about 2,500 public charging station locations in Texas.[6]

As of 1 September 2021, charging stations are not considered electric utilities or providers for the purposes of state government regulation.[7]

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law in November 2021, allocated US$408 million to be spent on charging stations in Texas.[8]

There have been concerns about the reliability of Texas's electrical grid with regards to charging electric vehicles.[9][10]

Public opinion

[edit]

In a poll conducted in March 2022 by Texas 2036 about how many registered voters "have bought or considered buying" an electric vehicle, the number of affirmative respondents was 53% for people age 18–34, 56% for age 35–44, 34% for age 45–54, and 20% for age 55+.[11]

By region

[edit]

Amarillo

[edit]

As of 2019, there were around six public charging stations in Amarillo.[12]

Austin

[edit]

As of April 2023, Travis County has the second highest number of electric vehicles and charging stations of any Texas metropolitan area.[13] As of April 2023, there were 25,148 electric vehicles registered in Travis County.[14]

As of June 2022, there were about 1,300 charging stations in Austin.[15]

Beaumont–Port Arthur

[edit]

As of June 2022, there were five public charging stations in Jefferson County.[16]

Dallas–Fort Worth

[edit]

As of 18 April 2023, there are about 19,167 electric vehicles in registered in Dallas County, 18,025 in Collin County, 13,026 in Tarrant County, 12,446 in Denton County, 1,017 in Rockwall County, 844 in Ellis County, 758 in Parker County, 610 in Johnson County, 696 in Kaufman County, 245 in Hunt County, and 170 in Wise County.[17]

As of August 2021, electric vehicle automaker Rivian has plans to open a manufacturing facility in southwest Tarrant County. If opened, the facility would be the largest car manufacturing facility in the state.[18]

El Paso

[edit]

As of 2021, there were about 1,800 electric vehicles registered in El Paso County.[19] As of February 2022, the county had 66 charging stations.[20]

Houston

[edit]

As of July 2022, there were about 19,000 electric vehicles in Harris County, with about 13,000 being registered in the city of Houston.[21]

As of September 2021, the Houston city government had 40 electric cars in its fleet. The city plans to transition all of its light-duty vehicles to electric by 2030.[22]

In August 2021, Houston Metro announced its intentions to transition the agency's bus fleet to all-electric by 2030.[23]

Laredo

[edit]

As of April 2022, there were 264 electric vehicles registered in Webb County.[24]

Longview

[edit]

As of October 2022, there were 205 electric vehicles registered in Gregg County.[25]

Lubbock

[edit]

As of June 2022, there were 709 electric vehicles registered in Lubbock County.[26]

As of 2019, there were around six public charging stations in Lubbock.[12]

Midland

[edit]

As of April 2022, there were 205 electric vehicles registered in Midland County.[27]

San Angelo

[edit]

As of May 2022, there were seven public charging stations in San Angelo.[28]

San Antonio

[edit]

San Antonio opened its first AC level 2 charging station in September 2021.[29]

Tyler

[edit]

As of October 2022, there were 538 electric vehicles registered in Smith County.[25]

Waco

[edit]

As of June 2022, there were five fully electric vehicles in the Waco city fleet.[30]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Texas EV Registration Tool". April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Stephen Edelstein (May 8, 2014). "Texas Electric-Car Purchase Rebates Up To $2,500 To Start Soon". Green Car Reports. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  3. ^ "TCEQ Accepting Applications for Light-Duty Purchase or Lease Incentive Program". Lone Star Clean Fuels Alliance. May 2014. Archived from the original on September 28, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  4. ^ Gantert, Tom; Rowland, Brett (May 19, 2022). "Want a $180,000 electric car? Texas taxpayers may help you pay for it". The Center Square. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  5. ^ Matarese, John (May 9, 2022). "States hitting hybrid and electric car owners with new taxes". KHOU. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  6. ^ Moritz, Marilyn (August 18, 2022). "Interest in electric vehicles gaining speed, Consumer Reports survey shows". KSAT. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  7. ^ de Souza, Daniela (August 30, 2021). "Bipartisan Texas law smooths the path toward a more vibrant EV market". Environmental Defense Fund. Archived from the original on March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  8. ^ DiFurio, Dom (November 28, 2021). "The $400 million federal push to steer Texas drivers toward an electric future". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  9. ^ Henrikson, Eric (October 1, 2021). "Electric cars are coming to Texas — can our broken power grid handle them?". KXAN. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  10. ^ Greene, Lexis (June 14, 2022). "Will electric vehicles cause strain on the Texas power grid? Experts say no". KIII. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  11. ^ Tsiaperas, Tasha (April 22, 2022). "Younger Texas voters want electric vehicles, poll finds". Axios. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Self-Walbrick, Sarah (July 6, 2019). "Electric car owners, dealers say what it will take for vehicles to catch on here". Amarillo Globe-News. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  13. ^ Ortiz, Monica (November 16, 2021). "Report shows Texas doesn't have enough infrastructure for electric vehicles". Spectrum News. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  14. ^ "Microsoft Power BI".
  15. ^ Thompson, Kelsey (July 12, 2022). "As Texans conserve energy, how much power do electric vehicle chargers use?". KXAN. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  16. ^ Taschinger, Thomas (June 17, 2022). "SE Texas needs more EV charging stations". The Beaumont Enterprise. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  17. ^ "Electric Vehicles North Texas". DFW Clean Cities. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  18. ^ Hethcock, Bill (August 15, 2021). "$5B electric vehicle factory near Fort Worth would rival huge Tesla plant in Austin". WFAA. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  19. ^ Casillas, Mauricio (February 14, 2022). "The EV Equation: Electric vehicles gaining popularity in El Paso". KVIA. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  20. ^ Lucero, Julia (February 25, 2022). "Need to give your electric car a jolt? Here is a list of El Paso charging stations". El Paso Times. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  21. ^ Nair, Jishnu (September 1, 2022). "Environmental advocates say Houston is 'ground zero' for Inflation Reduction Act environmental gains". Community Impact. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  22. ^ Begley, Dug (September 9, 2021). "Advocates charged over Houston plan to add 100 electric vehicles in shift to gasoline-free fleet". The Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021.
  23. ^ Begley, Dug (August 26, 2021). "Metro commits to zero emission bus fleet, but gives itself years to transition from diesel". The Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021.
  24. ^ Bradshaw, Robin (April 27, 2022). "Here's how many EVs are registered in Laredo and Texas overall". lmtonline.com. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  25. ^ a b "More Charging Options Coming Soon for E Tx Electric Car Owners". KNUE. October 4, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  26. ^ Wilbanks, Kase (June 14, 2022). "South Plains included in TxDOT plan for network of electric vehicle charging stations". KCBD. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  27. ^ Bradshaw, Robin (April 28, 2022). "Here's how many EVs are registered in Midland and Texas overall". mrt.com. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  28. ^ Kelley, Crash (May 17, 2022). "Is it Time To Buy An Electric Vehicle In San Angelo?". KELI. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  29. ^ Kirkpatrick, Brian (September 22, 2021). "San Antonio Opens First Of 50 Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations". Texas Public Radio. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  30. ^ Saegert, Rhiannon (June 13, 2022). "Waco leaders weigh whether to go forward or reverse with electric vehicles". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved November 2, 2022.