Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists · 2026 · Lucas W. Davis、Jing Li、Katalin Springel
Abstract
The prospect for electric vehicles (EVs) as a climate change solution hinges on their widespread adoption across political lines. This study uses county-level data to show that from 2012 to 2023 about half of all new EV registrations in the United States went to the 10% most Democratic counties, and about one-third went to the top 5%. This correlation is largely stable over time and remains after controlling for household income, gasoline prices, and other observables. EV trucks are a small share of the EV market but show a lower correlation than other EV types. We also conducted a survey, finding little difference in the ability of Democrats and Republicans to answer questions about EVs.