ConsumerElectricVehicleAdoption

Progress To-Date:

• EVs as a Percentage of Vehicles Sold, Goal: 1.8%
• EVs as a Percentage of Vehicles Sold, Q4 2018: 2.34% 

Transportation generates more greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector; therefore, one of the most powerful ways we can reduce our region’s carbon footprint is to drive a local market shift toward electric vehicles (EVs). Major automotive manufacturers agree that electric is the drivetrain of the future, creating a need and an opportunity to build the infrastructure and the vehicle market of the future, today.  

We’re working to increase electric vehicle sales in Franklin and the six neighboring counties nearly five-fold, from a baseline of 0.37% of vehicles sold in 2015, to 1.8% of vehicles sold, by 2020. This effort is a central objective of the $10 million grant awarded to Columbus by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. 

For the first time ever, EV sales in the region exceeded 2% at the end of 2018. From the first quarter of 2017 through the end of 2018, new electric vehicle registrations in the Columbus region increased by 121%, outpacing the 82% expansion in the Midwest region and the 95% growth across the U.S. overall.

Electric vehicle sales growth has been driven not only by increased model availability, but also through our efforts designed to educate central Ohio residents on the benefits of EVs. Signature programs of the consumer adoption program include the Acceleration Partners program, the Smart Columbus Ride & Drive Roadshow, the Electrified Dealer program and the opening of the Smart Columbus Experience Center.