Electric car ownership remains novelty in NYC as infrastructure is slow to come online

As gas prices continue to rise across the U.S., some New Yorkers like Brooklyn resident Stephanie Doba don't need to worry.

Desperate to decrease her use of fossil fuels three years ago, Doba traded in her fuel-efficient Toyota Prius for an electric vehicle — a Tesla 3 Midrange. And she said she can't imagine going back to a gas-powered car.

“For me, it was wanting to put my money where my mouth is as someone very concerned about the climate crisis,” Doba said. “I just couldn't bear driving a gas car anymore.”

Yet Doba is a rare breed of New Yorker. According to state data, approximately 21,000 electric vehicles are registered in New York City, which is less than 1% of all the vehicles registered in the five boroughs. A similar trend applies statewide, where only about 62,000 of 11 million vehicles are solely electric.

This low rate of electric vehicle adoption is despite New York leading many states in advancing climate change policies. Transportation, meanwhile, accounts for 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in New York state and nearly 30% nationally.

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