There has been a lot of talk in the past few years about fossil fuels in the news. Since protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline have regularly been in the media this past year, a lot more attention is being payed to what we use for energy. Some governments seem to want to put an emphasis back on fossil fuels, much to the exasperation of many people who feel the world needs to move away from said fuels and focus on clean and renewable energy resources. This would require a phasing out of coal and oil – or at least a great reduction in the use of coal and oil – and a move towards harnessing the power of the wind, sun, and electrical energy. Despite the efforts of some government bodies to keep coal alive (the reasoning generally being the loss of jobs), the private sector seems to be making a push towards clean energy in most developed nations.

One of the biggest names in clean energy is automaker Tesla, Inc. Tesla has put a strong effort into not only making fuel-efficient electric automobiles, but they’re also making them affordable to the average person. Each year, more and more people are making the jumps to electric cars. There is just one problem:

Some states are more accommodating than others. Many states have begun offering tax breaks to citizens that move to clean energy and buy electric vehicles. The thing is, all the tax breaks in the world don’t matter if there is no reliable mechanic that can fix your electric car and there is no place to recharge on the road.

To compile this list, we looked at two things:

How many electric or hybrid electric cars are on the road in each state. If a large number of these vehicles are on the road, it’s more likely mechanics in your area will educate themselves and be able to work on the vehicle.

The second thing we looked at is access to charging stations. A tax incentive doesn’t matter if you have to drive a hundred miles to charge your Tesla Model S.

We then compared the two sets of data to see which states best met both requirements.

The ten most “electric car friendly” states are:

20. Most – Arizona

Arizona just creeps into the top 10, beating out states such as Rhode Island, Nevada, and Utah.

Per 1,000 people in the Arizona population, there are .93 electric vehicles on the road. This doesn’t seem like much when put into those terms, but you have to remember at one time the number was probably 0.

In addition to having about 1 electric or hybrid car per every 1000 vehicles in the state, Arizona boasts 379 EV charging stations with 956 outlets. These numbers grow every year.

Arizona also offers incentives to encourage their citizens to buy electric, hybrid, or alternatively fueled vehicles. These incentives range from your typical tax incentive, but also parking incentives and HOV lane access.

Some Arizona insurance providers offer discounts for hybrid, electric, and fuel efficient vehicles.

19. Most – Connecticut

Connecticut makes its way just into the list without lingering in the final spot. There’s nothing really wrong with that spot as these are the ten most electric car friendly states out of fifty. Not to mention that Connecticut is a beautiful place to go for a long drive.

Connecticut has .96 vehicles on the road for every 1,000 vehicles in the state. Connecticut boasts 291 EV charging station and 644 different EV charging outlets. When you consider that Connecticut isn’t very large, that’s a lot of outlets spread across the state so far. Obviously, these station and outlet numbers will increase.

In addition, Connecticut also offers various incentives to get their citizens to move towards clean-energy or fuel efficient vehicles. They offer incentives for workplaces to offer charging stations, and incentives for providing publicly accessible charging stations. They also offer tax credits for purchasing an electric, hybrid, or fuel efficient vehicle.

18. Most – Maryland

Take your Tesla Model S for a spin along some beautiful coasts and maybe drive over to Camden Yards for a Baltimore Orioles game. Why not? Maryland is very friendly towards drivers of electric, hybrid, and fuel efficient vehicles.

Maryland has .98 electric cars on their roads for every 1,000 vehicles registered in the state. They also boast 444 electric vehicle charging stations with a whopping 1117 charging outlets. This makes Maryland the first state on our list to have charging outlets in the 4-figures.

The state also offers a tax credit for purchasing an electric or hybrid vehicle. Unfortunately, this credit came from available funds. These funds dried up in September of 2016.

17. Most – Michigan

If incentives and the actions of heavy hitters in the auto industry were the major factors in our list, Michigan could have easily been in the top five. Unfortunately they lack in other areas.

Michigan has .99 electric cars on the road for every 1,000 vehicles registered in the state. They also have 329 stations and 846 electric vehicle charging outlets. This is less than Maryland and Michigan is quite a bit bigger than Maryland. If you live in a rural area, you’re probably going to have an issue finding a public charging outlet.

Michigan offers a handful of tax credits for drivers of electric vehicles. Michigan driver’s can receive discounts on their auto insurance for having an eco-friendly car. They also get breaks for charging and for their vehicles passing emission tests.

There are also plans by Ford to add 700 Michigan jobs building hybrid and electric cars.

16. Most – Colorado

If you love a good drive through some beautiful natural scenery, you’re in luck. Colorado is just outside the top five as the sixth most electric car friendly state on our list.

Colorado boasts 1.09 electric cars on the road for every 1,000 vehicles registered in the state. We’re finally starting to see at least one electric car per every 1,000. Colorado also has 421 electric vehicle charging stations with 981 electric charging outlets.

Colorado also offers tax credits for the ownership of electric vehicles, though their incentives aren’t as varied nor as seemingly easy to calculate, according to an article in The Denver Post. Though there are calculations involved, the tax incentive can conceivably reach up to $7,500.

15. Most – Oregon

What a beautiful state. Driving any kind of vehicle in Oregon would be an absolute pleasure, but how does it add up when taking a spin in your Model 3?

Oregon has 2.04 electric vehicles on the road for every 1,000 vehicles registered in the state, making them the first on the list to have at least two electric vehicles on the road for every 1,000. They also have 475 electric vehicle charging stations with an impressive 1189 charging outlets available to their drivers.

Oregon also offers its drivers tax incentives for both vehicle ownership and charging. They even have an incentive for electric two-wheeled vehicles.

14. Most – Georgia

Georgia is the first and only Southern state to make the list, making it rather impressive that it lands at our fourth spot instead of number ten.

Georgia boasts 2.2 electric vehicles on the road for every 1,000 vehicles registered in the state. Georgia claims 572 charging stations with a very impressive 1,696 charging outlets. If we were going purely by charging stations and outlets, Georgia would be in the top three.

Georgia offers a number of tax credit incentives for the purchasing of electric and hybrid vehicles as well as breaks for electric vehicle chargers. Georgia even offers incentives for converting vehicles to cleaner energy.

13. Most – Washington

Here we have another state that’s worth hitting the road and exploring regardless of the vehicle you’re in.

Washington has 2.32 electric and hybrid vehicles on the road for every 1,000 vehicles registered in the state. They also boast the second highest number of electric vehicle charging stations in the entire United states with 664 stations and 1696 charging outlets across them.

In addition, Washington offers tax credits for almost any kind of eco-friendly vehicles include, electric, hybrid, low emission vehicles, and vehicles that run on an alternative fuel source, or converting a vehicle to use an alternative fuel.

There doesn’t yet seem to be incentives for charging stations at present time.

12. Most – Hawaii

Who wouldn’t want to live in Hawaii? Like you would actually need an electric vehicle to consider the state an exciting and beautiful place to live. Their push for electric and clean vehicles is just another great incentive.

Hawaii has nearly 3 electric, hybrid, or clean vehicles on the road for every 1,000 vehicles registered in the state. Their numbers for charging stations don’t look as impressive as those of other states – Hawaii has just 228 charging stations with 518 outlets. These low numbers really aren’t that bad when you consider Hawaii is a rather small collection of islands when compared to a state the size of Michigan that doesn’t even have double these numbers.

Hawaii also offers reserved parking for electric vehicles and also offers perk in HOV lanes.

11. Most – California

California is truly the U.S. leader when it comes to making moves towards electric and clean fuel vehicles. No other state on this list comes close to their numbers. One could argue that California is much larger and therefore would have larger numbers, but they make huge efforts to move towards greener vehicles.

California has 4.68 vehicles on the road for ever 1,000 vehicles registered. This is 1.74 more vehicles than Hawaii, the nearest competitor. California has over 2000 electric vehicle charging stations with a very impressive 6000 charging outlets.

California offers rebates an incentives for purchasing electric vehicles. They also offer HOV lane access. In addition, their government web page doesn’t just offer a method of calculation to discover your credit or rebate – they have a vehicle-by-vehicle list to see what your credits are.

…and now the ten least “electric car friendly” states…

10. Least – Oklahoma

Let’s not rag too hard on Oklahoma. It’s not like they’re dead last in accommodating clean vehicles. They’re at the top of the bottom ten. We need to remember there are 20 states between the two categories that only performed slightly better.

Oklahoma only has 0.26 electric or hybrid vehicles on the road for every 1,000 vehicles. That’s around one vehicles for every 4,000 vehicles registered in the state. That’s just as well. There are only 38 electric charging stations and 86 total electrical charging outlets in the entire state.

This doesn’t mean that the state has a total aversion towards electric vehicles or clean energy. They still have discounts for insurance on clean vehicles. They also have many of the same credits and breaks that states in the top ten offer.

9. Least – South Dakota

Oh, South Dakota. There’s no denying that it’s quite the beautiful state, but if you’re looking to move to a place that’s more accessible to a driver of an electric car, South Dakota is not the one. Good luck charging your Model 3 here.

South Dakota has 0.22 electric or hybrid-electric vehicles on the road for every 1,000 vehicles left in the state. That’s around a single electric vehicle for every 4,500 cars registered in the state.

Have fun looking for a charging station. South Dakota has the second lowest number of stations and outlets in the entire United States with only 19 electric vehicle charging stations and 36 charging outlets. 36 outlets. Everyone who owns an electric car in South Dakota probably know each other or have at least seen each other at an outlet.

South Dakota does boast some incentives, but not as varied as some other states.

8. Least – Kentucky

It’s unfortunate that Kentucky isn’t in the top ten. It’s another state filled with beautiful scenery, such as the waterfront in Louisville, but if you’re driving around to see the sites, you’re not getting many perks by going for a greener vehicle other than your own self-satisfaction.

The state only has 0.21 electric or hybrid vehicles on their roads for every 1,000 vehicles registered to the state, though you are going to have an easier time filling up in Kentucky versus Oklahoma and South Dakota. Kentucky has 67 electric charging stations with 150 charging outlets across them.

Kentucky offers very little in terms of electric vehicle incentives, at least, when it comes down to the individual. They do offer incentives for businesses.

There are a number of Kentucky insurance providers that do offer discounts for green drivers.

7. Least – Alabama

As we move down the list, things begin to get a little more depressing if you’re a green driver looking for a more accommodating state for your vehicle. Alabama only has a 0.2 electric or hybrid vehicles on their roads for ever 1,000 vehicles registered in the state. This means that only one for every 5,000 cars registered in Alabama is electric or fuel efficient.

Alabama only has 60 electric vehicle charging stations with 130 outlets across them. That’s roughly two outlets per station. Let’s hope three people in the same town don’t need to fill up at the same time. Not that that would ever be an issue with such a low number of green vehicles in the state.

Alabama offers no perks to drivers of green vehicles or even emissions testing.

6. Least – West Virginia

The state of West Virginia is the first to drop lower than 0.2 on our list. West Virginia only has 0.18 electric or hybrid vehicles on the roads for every 1,000 vehicles registered in the state. If you didn’t think it could possibly get any lower than one green vehicle per 5,000, you may be shocked to see it happening even before the bottom five.

West Virginia only has 38 charging stations with only 95 electric vehicle charging outlets across them. Sure, West Virginia isn’t a big state, but neither is Connecticut with nearly six times as many outlets.

West Virginia doesn’t offer emissions testing but they do offer some state incentives on top of federal incentives for driving green. There are also some insurance providers in the state that offer discounts for green vehicles.

5. Least – Wyoming

Wyoming is an absolutely beautiful state covered in beautiful scenery, rolling hills, the Devil’s Tower, the Grand Tetons, and Fossil Butte. It’s also home to Yellowstone National Park. You think with all those beautiful natural area, there might be more of an emphasis to go green.

Wyoming only has .16 electric or hybrid vehicles on the road for every 1,000 vehicles registered in the state.

The state is also in the bottom three in all of the United States in terms of charging stations and outlets with only 28 charging stations and with 60 outlets among them.

The only incentives offered to green drivers in Wyoming are through the insurance companies and the breaks offered by the federal government.

4. Least – Arkansas

Arkansas isn’t completely out of the game when it comes to going green. They do offer some more incentives than some other states here in the bottom ten, but we still see a steady increase in the number of green vehicles and opportunities to charge said vehicles.

Arkansas only has 0.15 electric or hybrid vehicles on the road for every 1,000 vehicles registered in the state. They only have 45 charging stations with 68 outlets. This means they have stations that can only charge a single vehicle at a time.

In regards to those incentives, Arkansas doesn’t do emissions testing, but they do have insurance companies that give discounts for going green. While they don’t have incentives for going electric or hybrid, they do offer incentives for converting a vehicle to use more eco-friendly fuels.

3. Least – North Dakota

It’s a shame seeing a beautiful state like North Dakota lacking green initiatives. There isn’t very much urban sprawl in the Dakotas. They have a beauty worth conserving. Unfortunately, North Dakota is one of the least clean vehicle friendly states in the entire United States.

North Dakota, like Arkansas, only has 0.15 green vehicles on the road for every 1,000 vehicles. That’s very low. You probably aren’t expecting many charging stations and you’d be right to expect that to be the case. There are 6 charging stations in the entire state of North Dakota with only 9 outlets. You can literally count your public charging outlet options across the entire state on your hands.

2. Least – Louisiana

Louisiana has had its fair share of hardships and figuring out how the state is going to accommodate a move to cleaner vehicles is probably at the bottom of their “To Do” list. There are still areas that aren’t close to being back to 100% after disasters like Katrina.

Louisiana only has .14 electric or hybrid vehicles on the road for every 1,000 vehicles registered in the state. On the plus side, Louisiana has one of the highest numbers of charging stations here in the bottom ten. There are 61 electric vehicles charging stations with 139 outlets across them.

There are some local incentives for going towards a green vehicle, but they aren’t state wide. Of course there are federal tax incentives for owning a green vehicle as well.

1. Least – Mississippi

Here we are the least electric car friendly state in the entirety of the U.S. Let’s get right to the numbers.

Mississippi has 0.09 electric or hybrid electric vehicles registered in the state for every 1,000 vehicles registered in the state. We’ve pointed out that some states here in the bottom ten only have one electric or hybrid car for every 4,000-5,000 vehicles registered Mississippi barely has one electric or hybrid care for every 10,000 vehicles registered in the state. You would have a very hard time finding an electric car in a game of Road Trip Bingo.

Mississippi doesn’t have the least amount of charging options, but they are in the bottom three. They have 26 electric vehicle charging stations with 50 charging outlets across them.

In terms of incentives there aren’t many. Businesses can get some incentives for going green and decreasing their carbon foot-print. This can be achieved with green vehicles, but isn’t reliant on them. Individuals do not get these incentives.

You might be able to find an insurance provider that gives you a discount for a green vehicle, but your chances of finding one in Mississippi are lower than any other state.

There are, of course, federal incentives that green Mississippi drivers can take advantage of.

Sources: afdc.energy.gov, dmv.org