Half of Electric Vehicles in WA State are In King County

Wednesday, WA state officials, including those from the Department of Ecology, held a press event-meeting to 'trumpet' the success of the states' EV push.

State touts progress made on electrics

According to  information from The Center Square, officials laid out what they said was progress, from a Results Washington performance review.

The Square reported state officials said in 2013 there were 8,000 electric vehicles on the road (registered) in WA state, now there are just over 124,000.

Officials also admitted that although electric vehicles are more expensive than gas or diesel, the state is going to continue to 'figure out' ways to make them more affordable.

Currently, according to Kelly Blue Book, today's average price of a four-door sedan is about $35,000. Granted that's a broad look, but it's the industry average. Contrast that with the average price of a similar electric vehicle, again according to Kelly Blue Book, is just under $62,000.

Some sources say these four-door models can also be as much as $65,000. Maintenance costs are also higher, a battery replacement in an EV with an expired warranty could range anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000.

  Where are all the EV's in WA state?

DOE and other state officials admitted Wednesday that although there are over 124,000 electric vehicles in WA,  over 60,000--or about half--are in or around King County.

There are 39 counties in WA, doing the math, that means an average of only about 1,500 EV's per county in the remaining 38 outside of King.