Nevada Electric Vehicle Registration Hits 47,000 Even as Federal Policies Shift

Although the Trump Administration rescinded federal EV tax incentives and funding, electric vehicle development in Nevada has continued to expand with added infrastructure and consumer demand. Education and accessibility are the issues that advocates see as vital to long-term success.

Nevada promotes EV awareness through National Drive Electric Month and other initiatives highlighting the environmental and economic benefits of owning an electric vehicle. EV advocates emphasize sustainability and lower operating costs, noting that the total cost of ownership for EVs continues to decline as manufacturing scales up.
“The snowball's already rolling downhill and they're not going to stop it,” said Paul Bordenkircher, president of the Nevada Electric Vehicle Association. “I don't think the adoption is ever going to stop or reverse.”

Nevada now has approximately 47,000 registered EVs, representing about 5% of the state's total vehicles. There are currently over 3.1 million registered EVs in the United States, indicating ongoing development of consumer acceptance of EVs. Las Vegas is spearheading the infrastructure in the state with more than 2,400 charging ports across 650 locations. Investments from the Nevada Department of Transportation and NV Energy have eased range anxiety, further driving acceptance.

“So that has come along,” Bordenkircher said. “And we've seen pretty large adoption … of electric vehicles in Las Vegas — in Nevada, in general, but definitely in the major cities. And I think it's because of that. I think it's because of the infrastructure.”

“(One), you can reduce the pollution you put out in the environment,” Burgy said. “And two, it's just a good thing in general for building sustainable transportation in the future.”

EVs are three to eight times more energy efficient than traditional gasoline vehicles, a key factor in reducing national energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. “So that helps our energy profile as a country. We're not using nearly as much energy to run the same vehicles to the same places,” Bordenkircher added.

Southern Nevada is also seeing interest from innovative EV mobility companies, such as Vay, which plans to introduce driverless car-sharing services. With growing infrastructure, education programs, and consumer enthusiasm, experts say Nevada's EV momentum shows no signs of slowing.