California's ambitious goal of putting hundreds of thousands more electric vehicles on the road is possible. A new study by Beacon Economics and the nonpartisan group Next 10 finds the state is adding zero-emission vehicles quickly.
Next 10 founder Noel Perry said there are already more than 300,000 electric vehicles on California roads, and he expects the jump to increase quickly, much like smartphone use took off a few years after they hit the market.
"Cost is really, really, important to consumers. And with electric vehicles, it's also range, how far it can go, and then it is also maintenance," said Perry.
California's governor recently raised the stakes. Gov. Jerry Brown's initial goal was to have 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025. Now, he wants to see the state hit a target of 5 million zero-emission vehicles just five years later in 2030.
The Next 10 report indicates that may also be doable if the state's electric vehicle charging infrastructure is given a serious upgrade.
"Right now, we have about 16,500 public and nonresidential private sector charging outlets. And that's more than any other state, however, if you look at the ratio between the number charging stations to the number of ZEV's and we score very, very low compared to other states in the country," Perry said.
