Public policy and incentives to encourage the adoption and use of electric vehicles (EV) are far from even across all 50 states.
In the giant state of Alaska, largest state by land area, there are only 223 public chargers, the fewest of any state, and many are concentrated around Anchorage. And even though utilities such as Alaska Power and Telephone (AP&T) offer some consumer incentives, state government provides no tax credits or vehicle purchase rebates for EVs.
Alaska scored three out of 13 points on a recent EV readiness report by Brookings Metro. The report, States at the Wheel: A State Policy Scorecard on Electric Vehicle Readiness, released in June, evaluates all states and the District of Columbia across five pillars: consumer incentives, environmental standards, charging infrastructure, market access, and government procurement.
States on the West Coast and East Coast, which typically offer various consumer incentives paired with EV policy goals, tended to score the highest. These states also marked strong growth in both EV registrations and the number of public chargers.
California, which received an overall score of 11 — tying with Massachusetts — counted more than 2.2 million zero-emission vehicles in 2025, according to the California Energy Commission. The state has about 76,000 public chargers.
“California has long been where clean transportation goes from concept to commercialization,” Michael Berube, CEO of CALSTART, said during a May 19 news conference in from of the California State Capitol to rally support for clean transportation. Berube went on to point out the growth of California electrified transportation ranging from electric bikes to big rigs.
“Behind these vehicles are real investments,” he said. “They are attracting capital. They are providing employment here in the state. And they are improving air quality.”
The Brookings document also points out what appears be a yawning gap between policy and EV adoption from one state to another. With only 0.9 EVs per 1,000 vehicles, North Dakota ranks 51st in the country on this particular metric. The state, which scored a 4 on the Brookings survey report, does not offer consumer rebates or tax credit incentives for the purchase of light-duty EVs.
Similarly, South Dakota, which scored a zero on the Brookings report, offers no purchase incentives for EVs, or for advancing charging infrastructure. South Dakota officials, however, point out the state is participating in the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which awarded it some $20 million to build out high-speed charging stations.
“For NEVI funding, private investment would be needed to seek reimbursement of the federal funds,” Julie Stevenson, strategic communications coordinator for the South Dakota Department of Transportation said. No NEVI-funded charging stations have yet been built in South Dakota, she said.
Louisiana, Nebraska, Montana, Ohio and Indiana also scored no points in the Brookings survey.
In the past, the federal government was often seen as an equalizer, offering funding, policy and support to states to encourage the transition to cleaner energy and a more electrified transportation ecosystem. The NEVI program was a key component of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1.2 trillion bipartisan package to spur infrastructure development and innovation. However, that level of commitment to clean transportation has been reduced under the second Trump administration, which has taken multiple steps to reverse these policy directions.
Among the administration’s most significant actions affecting EV adoption was the repeal of the federal clean-vehicle tax credit. This policy move contributed to the decline of new EV sales starting in the second half of 2025 and continuing into the first quarter of 2026, the Brookings report said, indicating “repealing federal clean-vehicle tax credits and EPA tailpipe standards could sharply slow EV adoption, reducing EV sales by about 30 percent in 2027 and 40 percent in 2030 relative to a 2025 policy baseline.”
The Trump administration paused the NEVI program for several months until federal officials issued new guidance for it, which the U.S. Department of Transportation released in August 2025. This action followed a court order in June 2025 stating the federal government was required to release the funding.
The president signed legislation last year to end California’s move to phase out the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The move also struck down the state’s ability to transition the heavy-trucking sector to zero-emission vehicles.
“This year it may feel like the United States is only moving backwards. But California can step up, and pick up the mantle for cleaner air, and a better future,” Adrian Martinez, director of the Earthjustice Right to Zero campaign, said at the Sacramento press event.
The federal retrenchment around EVs has contributed to “a highly fragmented policy environment,” Mark Muro, a senior fellow at Brookings Metro, and one of the authors of the report, said. (Shriya Methkupally, a senior research assistant at Brookings Metro, was lead author.)
“A relatively short list of highly engaged states continue to maintain multiple policy supports, while numerous states maintain only a few or none,” Muro added, in an email.
Creating a more even playing field, where all states offer similar incentives and other initiatives to encourage and support EV, Muro said, will require the states and Washington, D.C., working together.
“What works best, we believe, is a multi-dimensional mix of both federal and state policies that address a variety of issues,” he said. “EV adoption is not the result of a single silver bullet but requires multi-policy, multi-level support.”