Why EV sales have slowed in Massachusetts, even as gasoline prices climbed

Sales of electric vehicles in Massachusetts short-circuited at the beginning of the year, after the elimination of federal tax credits and a pullback of new models by the auto industry, according to the most recent state data.

But analysts say the transition to EVs from gas-powered cars, a key part of the state’s plan to reduce carbon emissions, is likely to get plugged back in over the next few years, as the cost of EVs drops and the charging infrastructure improves.

“It’s more clear than ever that the transition to electric transportation is going to happen regardless of the decisions happening in Washington,” said Daniel Gatti, director of the transportation program at the nonprofit Acadia Center in Maine, pointing to the declining cost of batteries and improving technology aroundthe world. “It’s just a question of the speed of that transition and some of the immediate headwinds that we’re facing.”

“Ride-sharing drivers are just such a valuable target for the state,” Acadia’s Gatti said. “They’re some of the highest mileage drivers on the road, so you’re getting more bang from your buck in terms of emissions [reductions].”

To read the full article from the Boston Globe, click here.