The Case For Electric Vehicles In Washington

By Ella Hamilton

In the mid-2000s, a Silicon Valley startup called Tesla Motors revolutionized the world of electric vehicles in the United States. Their model of an all-electric luxury sports car, with the added plus of being healthy for the environment, started an age of electric vehicle production that grows every year.

In 2023, there are an estimated 3 million electric vehicles on the road in the United States, although that only accounts for 1% of the total number of vehicles in the country. But this number only continues to grow each year, and sales of electric vehicles almost doubled between the years 2020 and 2021. Many of the country’s most popular car companies have plans to produce electric versions of their fleet within the next decade, including Ford, Honda, Mazda, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo.

Behind California, Florida, and Texas, Washington State is one of the leading states in the country in electric vehicle ownership. Known for its stunning environment and democratic politics, it should come as no surprise that electric vehicles are popular in the state. In Washington, the Snohomish County Public Utility District, the public utility agency that serves one of the largest counties in the state, offers information for numerous incentives for purchasing electric vehicles. Washington state and the Federal government, according to PUD, are offering tax credits of up to $1,000 for electric vehicle owners in order to lower the amount of gas used by other vehicles.

But what separates Washington from California and Texas, states which have more electric vehicles, is renewable energy. California and Texas are the nation's top producers of renewable energy, however, when assessing those numbers against the states’ total percentage of electricity net generation, they can’t compare to Washington. In Texas, only 25% of the state’s energy is renewable, and in California 41%. To contrast, 90% of Washington’s energy is produced by renewable resources.

“The fact that Washington's electric grid is so environmentally sustainable is a factor as well,” said Dan Vos, a resident of Seattle, Washington who recently purchased a Rivian R1S. “If we lived in, say, Oklahoma or somewhere where they're just burning coal or some of their fossil fuel to produce electricity, we definitely would be less inclined to go electric. Is it really making that big of a difference if we live in that kind of area?”

Dan and Laura Vos ordered a Rivian R1S, the company’s new SUV model, in March of 2023 and are still waiting for it to be built. The estimated time for Rivians to be delivered is roughly 13 months from the date ordered.

The Vos’s purchased their first electric vehicle for a number of reasons, including the lack of maintenance required, the environmental factors, not spending money on gasoline, and the convenience of plugging the car in at home.

“I didn't want to drive around a giant vehicle with all that gas with just me in it. So we decided that a better option would be to get an electric vehicle that I could drive every day,” said Laura Vos. “So I'm not using up gas and destroying the planet. But then also we could have a vehicle for traveling with all of us and potentially pulling a little trailer behind it too, for adventures.”

Another Washington resident, Toby Travis from Shoreline, purchased a 2023 Mini Cooper SE, the brand’s only electric vehicle, in December 2022. Travis and his wife Jennifer work from home regularly, but they purchased the vehicle to cut down on costs and emissions for when they commute to their offices in Seattle.

“We didn't need something that was super long-range,” said Travis. “And in electric cars, it seems the cost goes up with battery life and we just didn't need anything that could get us three or 400 miles. And Mini Cooper was fun and it was priced right and had the right range.”

Separate from the cost and efficiency of having an electric vehicle, the Travis family also wanted to contribute to lowering emissions into the environment. Over the past several years, they have been implementing changes in their lifestyle to be more environmentally conscious such as using public transportation when they can, working remotely in order to use cars less, as well as composting and recycling.

Despite the excitement surrounding purchasing a new vehicle and relishing in its benefits, these owners still have their reservations.

“Range anxiety is our number one concern. Are we going to show up at the one charger that we desperately need?” said Dan Vos. “And then the other thing is cost. It's a really expensive vehicle and we didn't necessarily think that we would buy a vehicle for $100,000. So that's also something that took a lot of thought and consideration, putting that much money into a car.”

How far the car can drive before running out of power, and how long the battery itself will work for are some of the most significant worries of electric vehicle owners.

Looking to the future there is certainly a looming question about electric vehicles. But signs are pointing in the direction of growth, as the consumer market and infrastructure surrounding vehicles are rapidly changing. In 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law which “allocated $7.5 billion to building out a nationwide charging network,” according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. These investments will likely promote electric vehicle use across the nation, making their travel more reliable and sustainable.