Electric vehicles are reshaping the future of transportation and Maryland is no exception. As of the end of August 2023, the state has 81,088 registered electric vehicles according to data from MDOT/Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. While this number signifies substantial growth in the EV segment, Maryland has set its sights on an ambitious goal: having 300,000 Zero Emission Vehicles on the road by 2025. This target is part of the California Clean Cars Program which Maryland adopted in 2007 to reduce emissions. However, as of now, the state is less than a third of the way to meeting its 2025 goal.
About 25,637 of the electric vehicles in Maryland are registered in Montgomery County. As the most populated county in Maryland, with more than one million residents, it makes sense’s natural that Montgomery has the greatest total number of plug-in vehicles. In August, 2021,PlugInSites compared Maryland Plug-In Vehicle Adoption by County measuring the percentage of all vehicles registered in each county that are electric. The findings were telling: Montgomery County and Howard County had the highest percentages of EVs, with 1.61% and 1.63%, respectively.
Montgomery County Leads in Total EVs
Montgomery County has the most total EVs of any county in Maryland with approximately 25,637 electric vehicles. As the state’s most populous county, home to over one million residents, it’s no surprise that Montgomery County has the highest total number of plug-in vehicles.
There were about 5 million vehicles registered in Maryland as of June 30, 2023 according to MVA. About 796,365 are registered in Montgomery County. About 18,096 of the vehicles in the County are Battery Electric, up from 8,140 two years ago. and 7,541 are Plug-In Hybrids, up from 4,623 in 2021. This is a total of 25,637 plug in vehicles now registered in Montgomery County. That means 3.22% of all vehicles registered in Montgomery County are plug-ins, more than double the 1.61% registered two years ago. Howard County now has the highest percentage of plug-in vehicles in Maryland at 3.28%. Montgomery and Howard are way out in front of the rest of the Maryland for percentage of EVs.
Anne Arundel, Frederick and Baltimore City are next in the rankings with between 1.82% and 1.36% of all registered vehicles being electric.
Garrett and Somerset Counties Have Lowest Maryland EV Adoption
Garrett County in far western Maryland has around 33,000 total vehicles registered and only 78 EVs. Somerset County on the southern tip of the Eastern Shore has 40 plug-in vehicles. Less than two-tenths of one percent of all the vehicles in Somerset County, MD have a plug.
Maryland EV Policy
The chart above and the interactive table below may be useful to people who are interested in local and state EV policy. Perhaps the visuals can help put context to the geographic disparity of EV adoption in Maryland.
It can be difficult to get consensus on EV-related legislation in the General Assembly in Annapolis. One example is “EV-Ready” legislation which would require pre-wiring for EV charging for every new home across the state. This is already required in Howard County but faces questions from lawmakers in parts of Maryland that have not yet seen much EV adoption. The electric vehicle momentum that seems inevitable in Montgomery or Howard County looks a lot different in Western Maryland or the Eastern Shore.
Table – Maryland EV Registrations per County
The interactive table below can sort county data by all Vehicles, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), Total of all Plug-Ins (Total EV), or percent of plug-in electric of all vehicles (% EV).
Source: MVA Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Registrations by County as of August 2023 obtained from Maryland Open Data Portal.
See also: Maryland Plug-In Vehicle Adoption by County
