Challenges and opportunities for the zero-emission vehicle transition in rural regions

As the transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) accelerates around the world, there are concerns about an uneven pace across different equity dimensions, including between urban and rural regions. This new analysis from the ZEV Alliance offers insights into the extent of rural-urban disparities in battery-electric vehicle (BEV) uptake within regions in Germany and the state of New York in the United States.

In Germany, rural regions are outperforming urban regions, with 63% of rural regions having a battery electric vehicle (BEV) registration share above the country average compared with 56% of urban regions. However, the opposite is true in New York state. There, rural counties are underperforming with none above the state average compared with 36% of urban regions above the state average.

Figure. Share of total battery electric passenger car registrations in 2023 by rural, intermediate, and urban regions equal to or above and below the German and New York state average

The analysis finds evidence of varying patterns and degrees of association between urbanization, income, and public charging deployment and urban-rural disparities in BEV uptake.

This paper also provides insights from real-world rural BEV users, all of whom had almost entirely positives experiences using a BEV. Interviewees emphasized that a lack of awareness is a key barrier to greater adoption, and that awareness-building efforts that entail myth-busting but also focus on the suitability of BEVs and their cost-saving potential could help accelerate uptake. Finally, the paper catalogs examples of policies to increase awareness and overcome barriers to ZEV adoption in rural areas across ZEV Alliance jurisdictions.

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