Electric vehicles registered in Arkansas up 43% through May; up almost 300% since 2019

Electric vehicles registered in Arkansas are up 43% in the first five months of 2022 from the end of 2021, with Benton, Pulaski and Washington counties home to 57% of those, according to info from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA).

The number of fully electric vehicles in Arkansas as of Jan. 1 was 2,094, with 2,997 at the end of May, noted info from DFA spokesman Scott Hardin, who said more would be on the road if supply matched demand.

“If there was wider availability of these (fully electric) vehicles, the number would certainly be larger. Within the same time frame (January 1, 2022 to June 1, 2022), the number of hybrid electric vehicles in Arkansas grew from 22,818 to 27,441,” Hardin said.

Between the end of 2019 and the end of May 2022, the number of fully electric vehicles registered in Arkansas has risen 283.7%.

Lauren Waldrip, executive director of Arkansas Advanced Energy Association, said the substantial growth of electric and hybrid vehicles shows the need for more investment in supporting infrastructure.

“A vast network of charging stations across the state will only further encourage the more than 40% of Americans who expect to own an electric vehicle in the next five years. The Arkansas Advanced Energy Association eagerly awaits final details regarding Arkansas’s rollout plan of bipartisan infrastructure package funding. The package includes $54 million dollars specifically earmarked for electric vehicle charging stations in the natural state,” Waldrip said in a note to Talk Business & Politics.

The number of fully electric and hybrid vehicles in Arkansas is about 1% of all vehicles registered in the state. There are 2.75 million vehicles (passenger vehicles like cars, trucks, SUVs) registered in Arkansas. The three most popular vehicles in Arkansas are trucks. The Chevy Silverado leads the state with more than 85,000 registered. The Ford F-150 is second while the GMC Sierra is third, according to the DFA info.

The DFA also shows that Benton County has 660 registered fully electric vehicles, Pulaski County has 641 and Washington County has 405 – which combined is 57% of the state total. In Arkansas’ two other metro areas, Sebastian County had 110 fully electric vehicles registered and Craighead County had 102 at the end of May.

Following are recent growth trends in registered fully electric and hybrid vehicles in Arkansas.
2022 (As of June 1)
Electric: 2,997
Hybrid: 27.441

2021
Electric: 2,094
Hybrid: 22,818

2020
Electric: 1,303
Hybrid: 18,242

2019
Electric: 781
Hybrid: 13,861