Going Green: Nevada sees jump in electric vehicle registrations
The Silver State is turning into the green state as the amount of electric vehicles registered in Nevada has seen a massive jump over the past two years.
The number of electric vehicles registered with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles has increased 133 percent in the past two years, going from 7,381 in 2019 to 17,162 last year.
The increase in electric vehicles should not be a surprise, as they are gaining in popularity worldwide and the state is pushing manufacturers to have more environmentally friendly vehicles available for purchase.
“Nevada adopted regulations that will require vehicle manufacturers to offer an increasing number of electric vehicles as a percentage of their sales,” said Kevin Malone, DMV spokesman.
The Clean Cars Nevada regulation is aimed at strengthening vehicle emissions standards and helping reduce vehicle-related pollution, while also opening up more opportunities for Nevadans to purchase electric and plug-in hybrid passenger cars and trucks starting in 2024.
“Clean Cars Nevada is a huge victory for the Silver State,” Gov. Steve Sisolak said in a statement released in October. “Transportation is the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions in Nevada and drives disproportionate pollution burdens for historically underserved communities.
“As Nevada continues to grapple with the many impacts of climate change — including record-breaking heatwaves, drought, and massive wildfires across the West — advancing climate-forward policies and programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality are more critical than ever to ensure a healthy, sustainable future for Nevada.”
To support the continued increase in electric vehicles, the Nevada Public Utilities Commission last year authorized NV Energy to invest $100 million over the next three years in bulking up the infrastructure for electric vehicles. The plan is focused on increasing the availability of electric vehicle charging stations along major travel corridors and at popular destinations.
The amount of electric vehicles in Nevada is still a small share of the state’s total number of registered vehicles, showing there is still room for the sector to grow.
Overall there were almost 2.29 million vehicles registered in the Silver State last year, about 2 percent more than 2019’s 2.25 million vehicles.
Popularity in specialty plates saw an increase as well, going from 289,273 at the end of 2019, to 323,860 as of Dec. 31.
The most popular of the specialty plates is the Las Vegas Commemorative version, which had 81,284 active registrations at the end of 2021, DMV data revealed.
Each of the professional sports team themed plates also saw strong growth over the past two years.
The Golden Knights specialty license plate went from 42,108 active registrations as of Dec. 31 , 2019, to 57,464 at the end of 2021. The Raiders specialty plate jumped from 11,616 at the end of 2019 to 27,716 as of Dec. 31.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter. Send questions and comments to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com.