Nearly 18,000 electric vehicles are now on Vermont’s roads, a 41% increase from the number of EVs in Vermont as of this time last year, according to data from Drive Electric Vermont.
Vermont recorded 17,939 registered EVs as of January 2025, according to Department of Motor Vehicles registration data tracked by Drive Electric Vermont and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. That’s up by 5,185 vehicles from last year. Vermont took six years to register its first 5,000 EVs, but added the last 5,000 in one year.
“It’s only getting easier for Vermonters to drive electric,” Michele Boomhower, director of policy, planning and intermodal development for the Vermont Department of Transportation said in a news release. “Today, there are more types of EVs than ever, including electric trucks and SUVs with all-wheel drive options that Vermonters rely on. And Vermont now has more than 450 public EV chargers, including 92 DC Fast Chargers that can quickly recharge most EVs in as little as 20 minutes.”
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV was the top-selling EV in the fourth quarter of 2024 in Vermont, with 113 sold.
Reuters recently reported that although the rate of EV sales growth has slowed in recent years, a Detroit-area automotive advisory firm − Telemetry − expects battery electric vehicles to be the most common powertrain across the globe in a decade, with 40.5 million vehicles sold.
While Vermont EV sales surge, dark clouds gather on the horizon elsewhere
The Detroit Free Press, however, reported in February that the automotive industry will be “turned upside down” over the next few years, as nearly all automakers are delaying or changing their product plans amid policy uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration and lower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles.
Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at Auto Forecast Solutions, said the Detroit Three automakers are delaying “a significant number of vehicles” as investment money is being shifted from EVs to hybrids and gasoline vehicles, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Despite the global uncertainty, more than 12% of all new cars registered in Vermont last year had a plug, according to the Vermont Vehicle and Automotive Distributors Association. Used EV registrations are also growing, with pre-owned EVs making up about 15% of newly registered EVs in the state.
Chittenden County leads the way in EV sales in Vermont
Other Vermont EV benchmarks include:
Nearly 18,000 EVs means Vermont has doubled its fleet of EVs in the last two years.
60% of Vermont’s EVs are all-electric vehicles (AEVs) powered entirely by a battery, while 40% are plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) that run on a battery or a gas-powered engine.
A Ford Mustang Mach-E is seen outside the NUCAR dealership in St. Albans.
Top-selling EVs in the fourth quarter of 2024 included the Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV (113 sold); the Nissan Ariya EV (94); the Toyota RAV 4 Prime PHEV (93); the Tesla Model Y EV (70); and the Ford F-150 Lightning EV (62).
Chittenden County has the most EVs registered (6,309) and the highest rate of EV ownership with about 1 EV for every 27 people.
18 all-electric school buses, 11 electric transit buses and 56 electric trucks are included in the registrations.
Vermont ranks first in nation in cutting greenhouse emissions from transportation
Vermont was ranked first in the nation by the Natural Resources Defense Council for cutting greenhouse gas emission from its transportation system.
The Drive Electric Vermont website has details on federal and utility incentives available now for buying or leasing new or used EVs in Vermont. Those incentives can save purchasers thousands of dollars.
Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosio@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Chittenden County has most electric vehicles registered in Vermont