Electric Vehicles in Washington State

DOL data details registered electric and hybrid vehicles

by Trends Staff

A new dataset compiled by Washington state’s data portal Data.WA.gov provides information on all electric and hybrid vehicles registered through the Washington State Department of Licensing. This data features three metrics: electric vehicle population by ZIP code, electric vehicles by county, and electric vehicles by model. Each of these metrics reveals interesting details about electric vehicles in Washington state.

As of February of 2022, there were 87,686 electric or hybrid vehicles registered in Washington State. Over half of these vehicles are registered in King County. The county with the second highest amount of electric and hybrid vehicles is Spokane County, with a total of 9,292 vehicles. The electric vehicle population by ZIP code reveals the same trends, with 55,000 vehicles registered in Seattle ZIP codes. The ZIP code map reveals that there are electric vehicles across Washington, even if their prevalence is scarce.

The electric vehicles by model graph demonstrates the popularity of certain models and certain brands. 29% of the total registered vehicles are Tesla Model 3’s, a fully battery electric vehicle, and 20% of the total vehicles are Nissan LEAF’s, also a fully battery electric vehicle. Four of the top 8 most common vehicles are Tesla models, comprising 60% of the most common electric vehicles.

The registration of electric and hybrid vehicles throughout Washington can reveal how Washingtonians prioritize environmentally friendly consumer practices and environmental consciousness. Analyzing this data over time demonstrates either increasing or decreasing demands for electric vehicles, as well as what carmakers are dominating this market. It will also be valuable to understand geographic trends over time, as electric vehicles become more popular outside of the major cities of Seattle and Spokane.