Which U.S. states are best for electric vehicles?

As Tesla and other brands race to capitalize on the emerging zero-emission vehicle industry, a new study has evaluated which states are best for owners of plugin vehicles. And although there are a few names on the list that may not surprise you, some of the top states for electric cars will surprise you, as well as some of the least accessible states for the new technology.

A recent study by Forbes Advisor looked at the ratio of registered electric vehicles to charging stations to determine the best states for plugin vehicles (via USA Today). The results of the study may come as a surprise to some, but the number one state for EVs by this metric is North Dakota with a ratio of 3.18 electric cars to 1 charging station.

To be sure, the metric isn’t a perfect one. Most of those that top the list simply have few enough EVs to accommodate them with a small amount of charging stations. Still, with 69 charging stations and 220 registered EVs, North Dakota lands at the top of the list just ahead of Wyoming and the tiny state of Rhode Island, and it’s a well-earned spot.

The study showed that Wyoming had a ratio of 5.40 EVs per charging station, with 330 registered EVs and 61 charging stations across the state. In third was Rhode Island, with 6.24 EVs per charging station — but with a whopping 1,580 registered EVs and 253 charging stations.

Other medium-sized, lightly populated states such as Maine, West Virginia, South Dakota, Missouri, Kansas, Vermont and Mississippi all ranked well, while many more well-populated states ranked far worse. The ten worst-ranking states included New Jersey, Arizona, Washington, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Oregon, Florida, Texas and Nevada.

Interestingly enough, California ranked poorly despite being a hotspot for EVs, being Tesla's birthplace and being the country’s most populous state — with around 40 million residents total. In this index, California ranked the fourth least accessible state for EV owners, with a ratio of 31.20 EVs to 1 charging station.

EVs are growing in popularity in the U.S. and around the world. Currently, EVs account for 4.6 percent of all passenger vehicle sales in the U.S., according to data from Experian. Additionally, EVs just surpassed 10 percent of market share worldwide, with Chinese brand BYD and U.S. brand Tesla at the front of the pack.

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