Georgia accelerates past the 75,000 mark for electric vehicles

With a power surge from Atlanta-area drivers, more than 75,000 Georgia vehicle owners now are plugging in rather than filling up.

Fulton and eight counties ringing the capital city account for more than 50,000 of the state’s registered electric cars and trucks, according to an analysis of data from the Georgia Department of Revenue’s Motor Vehicle Division.

Not counting trailers and motorcycles, plug-in vehicles account for more than 3% of registrations in the Atlanta region. Fulton County alone has more than 20,000 electric vehicles, or more than one-quarter of Georgia’s plug-in cars and trucks.

Statewide, fewer than 1% of vehicles are electric. That includes Chatham County, where nearly 1,500 registered EVs account for 0.6% of vehicles. Put another way, that means six of every 1,000 Chatham vehicles are electric compared to 33 per 1,000 in the Atlanta area.

That kind of advantage is common for a growing major city like Atlanta with plenty of high-income residents who can afford still-expensive electric vehicles, and where chargers and dealerships are prevalent.

Georgians have purchased the highest number of EVs in the Southeast

But while Georgia’s overall EV numbers may seem relatively low, the state has a running start over much of the Southeast, said Stan Cross, electric transportation policy director at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

Georgia was among the first states in the nation to offer significant incentives for EV drivers when it instituted a $5,000 tax credit for the purchase of plug-in vehicles in 2013. Georgia residents were able to combine the state tax break with a $7,500 federal credit to significantly reduce the cost of buying or leasing an EV.

“That tax credit at that early market moment launched Georgia to the top nationally” in electric vehicle sales, Cross said.

The state credit lasted only a few years, but Georgia’s EV momentum persisted.

“People would see their neighbors who’d bought an electric vehicle and decide they wanted one for themselves,” Cross explained. “Many Georgia automobile dealers also have learned how to sell EVs better than dealers in other states.”  

As of June, a total of 95,550 plug-in vehicles had been purchased in Georgia over the years – the highest number in the Southeast, according to SACE.

In the second quarter of 2023, EVs accounted for more than 7% of all vehicle sales in the state, which also is highest in the region.

The makers of EV chargers took notice of Georgia’s early EV shift and gave the state a head start in developing an effective network of plug-in stations. That helps alleviate so-called range anxiety among prospective electric vehicle owners who fear being stranded with a drained battery.

Drivers in Georgia now have access to more than 1,860 public charging locations featuring nearly 5,000 ports, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technology Office.

The bulk of those are Level 2 chargers, which add 10 to 20 miles of range per hour of plug-in time.  

Public Level 2 stations are typically located in parking garages or at businesses, government facilities and other destinations where vehicles can be charged while they are parked.  

More than 800 DC fast chargers – which deliver 180 to 240 miles of range per hour – are also available throughout the state.  

Where are charging stations located? Find a charging station near you

Georgia’s position as the leading Southeast state for EV-related manufacturing is driving still more interest in electric vehicles, as is the reintroduction of federal incentives.

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in August 2022, created tax credits of up to $7,500 for the purchase of qualifying EVs.

To be subject to the full credit, an EV must be assembled at a North American facility, at least half of its battery components must be produced in North America and 40% of the battery’s critical minerals — like graphite, lithium and cobalt — must originate in the U.S. or with a recognized trade partner. Both percentages increase incrementally in the coming years.

“Georgia built a foundation for electric vehicle growth and continues to reap the benefits,” Cross said.

John Deem covers climate change and the environment on the Georgia coast for the Savannah Morning News. He can be reached at jdeem@gannett.com.