electric cars

Atlanta is the fastest growing market for electric cars in the U.S., according to an analysis by the electric vehicle charging network ChargePoint. Electric vehicle (EV) sales in Atlanta jumped by 52 percent from the third quarter to the fourth quarter of 2013, with more than 3,000 EVs sold in the final three months of the year, according to state motor vehicle records.

Washington, D.C., was the second-fastest growing market, with a 21 percent increase in sales, and Portland, Oregon, had the third-fastest growth, at 19.4 percent. While Los Angeles added the most EVs — more than 5,000 — to its streets, for a 19 percent growth rate, Atlanta outpaced it on a per capita and percent growth basis.

Nationally, EV sales grew by nearly 450 percent in the first three quarters of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012. ChargePoint’s CEO speculated that popularity is increasing because charging station networks have expanded and EV designs have improved. “We’re well on our way to having twice the number of EVs on the road by the end of 2014,” he said.

Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.