California Sits Far Atop National EV Policy Scorecard List
California ranked first in strengthening policies to enable widespread use of electric cars, trucks, and buses, according to a national scorecard that gives most states poor grades.
The 2023 State Transportation Electrification Scorecard from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy evaluates policies in states to encourage electric vehicle adoption.
Only 10 states scored more than half the points available.
California scored 88 out of 100 points, far above other top states on the list, for committing to full electrification of light-duty vehicle sales, the state’s plan to update its electricity grid to prepare for a rise in EVs, and incorporating equity considerations into its EV policy.
California in recent years finalized two important EV regulations, the report notes. The state passed the Advanced Clean Cars II rule, which requires all new cars sold by 2035 to be EVs, and the Advanced Clean Truck regulation, which requires heavy-duty truck sales to begin to transition to electric models.
According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit research organization that develops policies to reduce energy waste and combat climate change, six states have adopted California’s Advanced Clean Cars II rule, and seven adopted its truck rule.
Six other states are considering adopting one or both rules.
New York came in second on the scorecard with 62 points for incentivizing the purchase of EVs and EV charging infrastructure, including from its investor-owned utilities, and taking steps to integrate EVs onto the grid.
Others on the top 10 list are:
- Colorado (No. 3)
- Massachusetts (No. 4)
- Vermont (No. 5)
- Washington (No. 6)
- New Jersey (No. 7)
- The District of Columbia (No. 8)
- Oregon (No. 8)
- Maryland (No. 10)
The scorecard offers scores for the top 33 states, because the remaining states achieved few points and there is little differentiation in policy progress among those states.
The report recommends that underperforming states collect data on transportation electrification and use the information to help improve transportation electrification planning.