Electric Vehicle Population Map - by Postal Code 

by Trends Staff

Are you in the market for a new vehicle? You might want to consider a hybrid. According to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation’s Electric Vehicle Fourth Quarter 2023 Report, Washington saw a large increase in its EV market share. The 2023 figure of 18% saw a 5.9 pp increase when compared to 2022. This was the largest gain in the country for the full year, although not the largest overall as California continues to lead the nation in EV sales.  

This trend is evident in the data visualization provided by data.wa.gov, the Washington State Open Data Portal. It displays the number of currently registered Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) throughout the State. Their generalized location is provided by the Washington State Department of Licensing. Visitors to the site can narrow down their area of interest by county, city, postal code, or even legislative district.  

Filtering the data to show just Chelan and Douglas counties, we see that roughly 1,500 hybrid vehicles are on the road in Wenatchee area. The largest contributor in the state is, unsurprisingly, the Seattle area which shows over 133,000 registrations.  

Increasing rates may be influenced by the 2019 reinstatement of the state’s sales and use tax exemption for the sales of vehicles powered by alternative fuels and certain plug-in hybrids. Another contributing factor is the passing of the Motor Vehicle Emission Standards – Zero-Emission Vehicles law (RCW 70A.30.010), passed in 2020, which requires the state to gradually increase the sale of zero emission vehicles on the road and ultimate adaptation California’s zero emissions standard.  

Concerned about finding adequate charging stations? Investments in EV infrastructure have been made in response to increasing rates of electric vehicles on the road. In 2024, over $85 million dollars in grants were awarded by the Washington State Department of Commerce to expand electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state, making electric vehicles an option for many more residents.