Gallery: Top 10 American cities most friendly to EVs

Sparked by federal investment and an economy that’s rapidly prioritizing green energy production, electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular. EV sales increased by 65% last year, topping 800,000 for the first time ever, according to Kelley Blue Book. Amid this wave, some American cities have more infrastructure in place to support EVs than others—most are in the West. 

A new analysis from StorageCafe ranks the top American cities based on criteria like the number of registered EVs, tax rebates and incentives, the price of electricity, the amount of renewable energy that’s generated, the number of EV chargers, and the amount of days with good air quality, among other things.

“The market seems to be diversifying, with more buses and trucks joining the ranks of electric vehicles. Bolstered by federal incentives, over 5,000 electric buses were in operation in 2022 nationwide, a 66% increase compared to 2021,” reads a brief about the findings. “Major hurdles in mainstream adoption have been the high price of owning an EV as well as range and charging options. However, as the industry scales, they are more likely to become more affordable for the regular Joe and Jane. In fact, they’re expected to reach price parity with conventional vehicles in 2023.”

Of the top 20 cities, 15 are in the West. Californian cities comprise seven of the top 10.

“In line with their broader sustainability and smart-growth goals, western hubs have amplified efforts toward expanding and improving the infrastructure and market conditions so as to support EV uptake at a larger scale. Seattle has made great strides, as have San Francisco, San Jose and Portland, to create a favorable context for people to embrace electric driving,” the brief says.

With 878,000 EV vehicles on the road, California is outpace the rest of the United States in EV adoption by a large margin. Florida has the second most with 128,000. Of all cities, the Los Angeles metro area boasts the largest number of electric vehicles with roughly 293,000, the brief says. It also has the most charging stations with close to 4,800. San Francisco is near the top, too, with 105,000 electric cars and the third-best EV presence in the nation’s 100 largest metros.

The top 10 cities can be seen in the gallery above. Visit StorageCafe’s website for a complete list of the top 20 cities.