Listen to this article

The Murphy administration announced Dec. 10 that the state had reached a milestone in its clean energy efforts – surpassing the 200,000 electric vehicle registration milepost.

The state says there are now more than 208,000 battery-electric and plug-in hybrid EVs registered with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.

That is more than double the number of EVs registered in the Garden State just two years ago.

Currently, manufacturers are offering 57 EV models to New Jersey consumers. The Garden State’s market share of EV sales as of the third quarter of this year is at 14.4% (versus the national average of 10.2%)

The Murphy administration said increased registrations are a result of stronger consumer demand, vehicle availability and choice, as well as its efforts implementing some of the nation’s most progressive incentive programs, such as Charge Up New Jersey, NJZIP and more; while increasing the number of charging ports in the state through a number of different programs and initiatives.

New Jersey now has more than 4,000 publicly accessible charging ports – a huge jump from just 150 in 2016, with thousands more expected to be funded and come online over the next year.

‘Leading the charge’

“New Jersey is leading the charge in transitioning toward a zero-emission future. Reaching this 200,000 EV milepost clearly demonstrates growing consumer confidence in the performance of electric vehicles and our growing regional network of charging infrastructure,” said Gov. Phil Murphy in a statement. “During my administration, registrations of electric vehicles have grown exponentially, due in large part to our policies that are giving consumers and businesses the confidence to make the EV switch.”

“We are proud of this milestone and remain committed to supporting the continued growth of electric vehicles in New Jersey,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette. “For the last three years, the state’s market share of EVs has consistently exceeded the national average, and we will do everything we can to maintain this momentum.”

“As nearly half of New Jersey’s carbon emissions are produced by vehicles, this milestone is a major step in the right direction,” said New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan.

Looking at the numbers

Reaction to the announcement is coming in from some of the groups who have often sparred with Murphy on this subject.

“Today’s release by the Governor’s office heralding the announcement of 207,868 battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) registered in NJ as of September 30, 2024, is missing an important data set, how many hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) are registered in NJ?,” Eric DeGesero, executive vice president, Fuel Merchants Association of New Jersey, said in a statement.

“For the period ending June 30, 2024, BEV, PHEV, and HEV statistics were all released. At that time, it showed there were almost as many HEVs registered (172,032) as there were BEV+PHEV (183,945) combined. It is unfortunate that the Administration decided this time to not release data regarding hybrid electric vehicle registrations.”

Newly minted NJ CAR President Laura Perrotta said that reaching this threshold is a positive step – but stressed there is a long way to go to achieve the governor’s goal of 330,000 EV sales by 2025.

“Dealers want to sell what consumers want to buy, but they simply don’t want to buy EVs at the numbers mandated by New Jersey,” said Perrotta. “New Jersey’s EV market is governed by the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Advanced Clean Car II (ACCII) Rule which required New Jersey new car dealers to sell more than 100,000 EVs last year. Consumers bought less than half that amount.”

Perrotta noted that the CARB mandates require that EVs account for 23% of all vehicle sales this year.

“Through the third quarter of 2024, EVs accounted for 11.2% of all sales, less than half of the mandate,” she explained. “In actual numbers, nearly 342,000 total vehicles were sold through September, including 38,000 EVs. If New Jersey were meeting the ACCII mandate, that number should be nearly 79,000 EVs – a 41,000-vehicle shortfall. Failing to recognize the marketplace realities, cutting the EV incentive, eliminating the EV sales tax exemption and adding a $1,060 EV registration fee to all purchases will not help the state meet its EV mandates

“Addressing EV affordability and protecting consumer choice are critical to success,” she closed the NJ CAR statement.

More information on EV sales and registrations, charger locations and more in New Jersey can be found here.