Detroit is, of course, the Motor City — but apparently that only refers to old-fashioned internal combustion cars, and not those newfangled electric ones.
According to a new study of the best U.S. cities to own an electric car, Detroit ranked dead last. The study was conducted by roofing company Gnome Roof, which helps connect consumers with solar power panel installation providers to help charge their electric cars.
Of Detroit, the study’s authors had this to say:
Ironically, Detroit — aka Motor City and once HQ of all “Big Three” automakers until Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) moved overseas — finished last overall. This gets even more ironic given that GM and Ford were top-5 EV sellers in the U.S. during the first half of 2023. However, it didn’t land on the tail end for the reasons you might expect.
Detroit actually has the infrastructure to support EVs, and the city does offer some EV incentives. Relatively unaffordable electricity and insurance premiums, which tend to be higher for EVs — along with rampant car thefts and a high rate of traffic fatalities — slowed the city to a halt in our ranking.
The top 10 cities for electric car owners were, in descending order, San Diego, California; Houston, Texas; Irvine, California; New York City, New York; Los Angeles, California; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Fort Collins, Colorado; San Antonio, Texas; San Francisco, California; and Chicago, Illinois.
The authors say they came up with the rankings by comparing the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on EV incentives, infrastructure, costs, and safety. The study also factored in EV laws, electricity costs, charging station access, and solar energy potential from viable roofs in each city, among 15 key metrics.
Earlier this year, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for expanding Michigan’s electric vehicle infrastructure by using federal funds from President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Whitmer has also steered billions of dollars for automakers to invest in electric vehicle and battery facilities in Michigan.
The UAW is currently on strike against all three Big Three companies for the first time in the union’s history. Among the union’s demands are assurances that workers won’t get left behind in the transition to electric vehicles, which use fewer parts and labor than internal combustion vehicles and tend to be built in non-union factories in the U.S. south.
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