The number of U.S. registered light-duty electric vehicles on the roads reached 2.13 million in 2021, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration, a significant increase from less than 100,000 EVs in 2012.
EIA said Wednesday that EVs have become more popular in the U.S. over the past decade because of consumer preferences, increasing number of EV models available (particular in the luxury sector), and government policies aimed at increasing uptake. Supportive policies include EV purchase incentives, zero emission vehicles sales requirements, and fuel economy standards. EIA’s count of EVs includes both battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
In 2021 the average EV in the U.S. was 3.6 years old while the average non-EV was 11.1 years old. The average EV is considerably younger than the average non-EV because of the relatively recent surge in EV sales. In 2021 27 percent of registered EVs in the U.S. were purchased in the previous three years compared to the overall fleet in which five percent of registered vehicles were purchased in the previous three years.