Interest for EVs and Hybrids is Growing Fastest In Rural Areas

The demand for electrified transportation is growing fastest, not in cities, shockingly, but in rural areas.

In a report from iSeeCars, the outlet analyzed market shifts and sales numbers from 2014 to 2022. It learned that the biggest growth segments for EV and Hybrid ownership came from more rural areas. The state of Mississippi has the most growth, with a whopping 241% change in vehicle registrations of alternatively fuelled vehicles. Mississippi’s growth is well above the US national average of about 54%, and above EV stronghold states, like California or Oregon. Mississippi’s alternative fuel adoption growth is especially intriguing, considering that there are no state incentives for EV or other alternative fuel owners.

The study also analyzed metro areas, too. Big metro areas like Los Angeles or San Fransisco are beaten in terms of growth by places like Birmingham, Alabama. “Los Angeles, with a growth rate of 70 percent in alternative fuel vehicle market share, doesn’t make the top 15…It’s outperformed in this area by, among others, Birmingham, Alabama, which ranked seventh at a growth rate of 88 percent,” said iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer.

True, a change from 0.9% to 3.1% of all total vehicles in Mississippi is still pretty minuscule, and the sheer number of EVs and alternative fuel vehicles on rural roads pales in comparison to more cosmopolitan locales. But, it proves that EV ownership and adoption is something that is of interest to folks of all shades, not just a handful of wealthy early adopters in cities.

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