Oregon and Partner States Reach Electric Vehicle Milestone
Oregon has joined nine other states in surpassing a collective target for electric vehicle (EV) adoption, an initiative designed to cut pollution and address climate change. According to a recent report, the states together have registered 3.3 million new EVs over the past 12 years, successfully meeting a 2013 agreement to achieve this goal by 2025.
In 2013, the governors of Oregon, California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont, collaborated to promote policies and public awareness to boost zero-emission vehicle sales within their borders. The Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, a Boston-based nonprofit, released the report indicating this accomplishment.
Transportation is the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon and across the nation. When then-Gov. John Kitzhaber signed onto the 2013 agreement, only 300 electric vehicles were registered in Oregon. The Oregon Department of Energy now counts over 100,000 EVs registered in the state. This figure accounts for about 5% of all new car registrations in Oregon over the past decade.
Governor Tina Kotek celebrated the state’s progress in a news release, calling the achievement a “milestone.”
“Transportation electrification is key to meeting Oregon’s climate goals,” Kotek stated. “Strong partnerships between states and private sector partners will be key to the nation’s success in the years to come.”
In 2013, only 16 EV models were available for purchase in the U.S. Today, consumers can choose from over 150 models, according to the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management.
Sales of EVs across the 10 states experienced steady growth in the years that followed the 2013 agreement. Sales fully doubled from 2022 to 2024. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed by Congress in 2022, included a $7,500 tax rebate for new EV purchases, which further stimulated sales. Oregon has its own rebate program, established in 2017, which offers up to $7,500 back on EV purchases. The program, which has paused issuing rebates since June of 2024 due to lack of funding, is expected to resume in 2025, according to the Department of Environmental Quality.
According to officials at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, which administers the state’s rebate program, one-third of all electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles registered in Oregon have received a Clean Vehicle Rebate. These rebates have totaled almost $100 million since 2017.
Since 2013, five more states have launched their own zero-emission vehicle programs, patterned after those of the original task force states, to spur adoption and expand charging infrastructure. Oregon, along with these 14 other states now account for over one-third of all new electric vehicle sales in the United States.
