“There is a continuing trend among states to offer some type of incentive to support electric vehicle adoption,” Hartman said. These incentives are still in their early years, as are the studies to measure their effectiveness, but according to Hartman, “it appears that states that offer a variety of incentives tend to have higher rates of electric vehicle adoption.”
Still, the failed proposal in Michigan represents the concerns some state officials have with regard to funding infrastructure. In most states, gas taxes are used to fund transportation infrastructure. With Americans driving increasingly fuel-efficient vehicles and driving less overall, states are experiencing decreases in gas tax revenue while facing constant transportation infrastructure demands. The American Society of Civil Engineers’Infrastructure Report Card notes that there is an estimated $80 billion shortfall in funding for American roads.