ThinkTankWeekly

States at the wheel: A state policy scorecard on electric vehicle readiness

Brookings | 2026-06-26 | energy

Topics: China, Climate, Europe, Middle East, Trade, United States

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English Summary

The U.S. electric vehicle market faces significant uncertainty due to federal policy retrenchment, which has withdrawn major subsidies and weakened regulatory standards for clean vehicles. Consequently, state policies are becoming critically important, prompting this analysis to benchmark how well states utilize their specific policy levers—such as ZEV mandates, consumer incentives, and charging infrastructure rules—to maintain EV momentum. The report argues that sustained EV adoption requires a robust, multi-faceted approach at the state level to compensate for the loss of federal support. This suggests that policymakers must prioritize comprehensive state-level action across all pillars (incentives, standards, infrastructure) to ensure continuous market growth.

中文摘要

由於聯邦層級的政策收縮(federal policy retrenchment),美國電動車市場面臨重大不確定性,這導致了主要補貼的撤回以及清潔車輛監管標準的減弱。因此,州級政策的重要性日益關鍵,本分析旨在評估各州如何有效利用其特定的政策工具——例如零排放車輛(ZEV)強制規定、消費者激勵措施和充電基礎設施規範——來維持電動車市場的發展動能。報告主張,要實現持續的電動車普及化,必須在州層級採取穩健且多面向的方法,以彌補聯邦支持的缺失。這表明政策制定者必須將重點放在跨越所有支柱(激勵措施、標準和基礎設施)的全面性州級行動上,以確保市場的持續增長。

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