Georgia is defying skepticism surrounding electric vehicle sales and is seeing a surge in EV registration and infrastructure investments.
In 2022, Georgia had more than 70,000 registered electric vehicles, a 48% increase over the 2021 total of about 47,000.
Chris Harto, senior policy analyst for Consumer Reports, dismisses concerns about declining consumer interest in electric vehicles, countering recent reports of an EV stockpile. Plug-in hybrids accounted for more than 10% of vehicle registrations in June alone, he explained.
“Year to date, EV sales are up over 50% year over year,” Harto reported. “Which is really impressive, given how much fuel prices have come down.”
EVs play a part in lowering the state’s carbon emissions. Data show one electric car can reduce CO2 emissions by 1.5 million grams a year. Despite reports of high inventory, data shows companies like Tesla and Rivian usually keep fewer cars on the lot compared to the industry average.
Harto pointed out there is increasing interest in electric vehicles, but consumers report concerns about affordability and infrastructure, despite Georgia’s 1,600 public charging stations. Most of the stations are in big cities like Atlanta, Augusta, and Columbus, which makes some rural residents hesitant about going electric. Harto added consumers are also shopping for the best overall value.
“You do see that in the sales data that the EVs that are eligible for the tax credits do seem to be selling better than then many EVs don’t qualify yet for those tax credits,” Harto observed.
Harto noted there could be a shift in the electric vehicle world as automakers satisfy their backlog of EV sales. He emphasized there has been little time for dealers to create successful EV sales models, since much of the inventory is presold before it ever gets to the dealer’s lot.
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This article originally appeared in Public News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
