Data on U.S. state-level electric vehicle policies, 2010–2015

This data set documents the duration and value of U.S. state and local electric vehicle (EV) policies in effect from 2010 to 2015. Though the focus is on policies at the state-level, local government and electric utility policies are documented when they collectively cover a majority of the state׳s population or electricity customers. Data were collected first from the Alternative Fuel Database Center (AFDC), then supplemented with information taken from more than 300 government (state, city, and county) and utility websites. Nine separate EV-related policy instruments were identified, organized as capital financial incentives, operating financial incentives, preferred access incentives, and disincentives. Though most policy instruments act to support EV adoption, an increasing number of U.S. states are adopting an annual fee for EVs to support road maintenance costs. For vehicle purchase incentives, home charger subsidies, vehicle license tax or registration fees, and the annual EV fee, data was gathered on the money value of these policy instruments. For emissions inspection exemptions and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane access, an annual money value for each policy instrument is estimated. The other policy instruments, time-of-use (TOU) rates for electricity, designated parking and free parking, are reported as binary variables. For further discussion of EV policy instruments as well as interpretation of their values, see Wee et al. [1]. EV policy instruments often differentiate between all-battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Data is similarly organized with this distinction.


a b s t r a c t
This data set documents the duration and value of U.S. state and local electric vehicle (EV) policies in effect from 2010 to 2015. Though the focus is on policies at the state-level, local government and electric utility policies are documented when they collectively cover a majority of the state's population or electricity customers. Data were collected first from the Alternative Fuel Database Center (AFDC), then supplemented with information taken from more than 300 government (state, city, and county) and utility websites. Nine separate EV-related policy instruments were identified, organized as capital financial incentives, operating financial incentives, preferred access incentives, and disincentives. Though most policy instruments act to support EV adoption, an increasing number of U.S. states are adopting an annual fee for EVs to support road maintenance costs. For vehicle purchase incentives, home charger subsidies, vehicle license tax or registration fees, and the annual EV fee, data was gathered on the money value of these policy instruments. For emissions inspection exemptions and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane access, an annual money value for each policy instrument is estimated. The other policy instruments, time-of-use (TOU) rates for electricity, designated parking and free parking, are reported as binary variables. For further discussion of Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/dib EV policy instruments as well as interpretation of their values, see Wee et al. [1]. EV policy instruments often differentiate between all-battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Data is similarly organized with this distinction.

Subject area
Public Policy, Transportation More specific subject area Alternative fuel vehicles, electric vehicles, policy analysis Type of data Tables and figures How data was acquired Alternative Fuels Database Center (AFDC); government websites; power utility websites; follow-up phone calls and emails with relevant agencies/ organizations Data format Raw, analyzed and estimated.

Experimental factors
Data was collected by semi-annual period by model.

Experimental features
Qualitative data analysis.

Data source location
All data series are for the 50 U.S. states.

Data accessibility
Data are provided in this article.

Value of the data
A comprehensive database for all consumer-oriented state and some local government policies affecting EV adoption in the United States is provided.
Nine distinct policy instruments that states, counties, cities, and utilities use to incent EV adoption is identified.
A growing number of states have enacted an additional annual fee for registering an EV rather than a gasoline-powered vehicle.
This dataset is valuable for researchers interested in analysis of the effects of public policies on adoption and use of EVs.

Data
The data is used in Wee et al. [1] and consists of nine policy instruments-vehicle purchase incentives, home charger subsidies, vehicle license tax or registration fees, annual EV fee, emissions inspection exemptions and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane access, time-of-use (TOU) rates for electricity, designated parking and free parking. As shown in Figs. 1-10, policy instruments are differentiated by vehicle type (BEV and PHEV) and shaded when in effect for each semi-annual period. Where applicable, amounts are also included in nominal terms for each time period.

. EV purchase incentive
A total of nineteen states had an EV purchase incentive between 2010 and 2015. The timing for state rebates, income tax credits, excise tax credits and sales tax exemptions, is shown in Fig. 1. The maximum value of state EV purchase incentives is shown in Fig. 2. In many cases, the value of policies is specific to EV models because of they either depend on battery size or MSRP. Thirty-two models were considered within this dataset that were sold within the U. EV purchase incentives are provided in a variety of forms: a fixed subsidy, a percentage of the vehicle cost that may be coupled with a cap at a certain cost, and a subsidy tied to battery capacity, or some combination of battery capacity and vehicle cost. For purchase incentives based on EV cost, the manufacturer suggested retail prices (MSRP) provided by the AFDC [2] and Fueleconomy.gov [3] are used. States vary their purchase incentives by EV type and over time. For example, from 2010 Utah provided a $605-750 tax credit for both PHEVs and BEVs and in 2015 implemented an up to $1500 tax credit for BEVs and an up to $1000 tax credit for PHEVs.
In some states, programs providing EV purchase subsidies sunset on a specified date. In others, programs continue until annual or total set-aside funds are exhausted. For example, in South Carolina, total claims by taxpayers cannot exceed $200,000 in a single year. In Texas, allowances end with the sunset date or when funds allotted to the program are exhausted. For a few states, Hawaii and Oregon, subsidies only went to pre-2013 EV adopters. In states such as Vermont, program eligibility was limited to a fixed number of customers.
Two states, New Jersey and Washington, have a sales tax exemption. New Jersey's sales tax exemption was enacted in 2004 and applies only to BEVs. Washington's tax exemption began in 2009 and was extended in July 2015 from only BEVs and other zero emission vehicles to PHEVs capable of travelling 30 miles using only battery power (known as extended range electric vehicles, EREVs). To be eligible for the sales tax exemption, vehicles must be valued at $35,000 or less.

Home charger subsidy
Ten states have offered incentives for EV owners to install Level 2 home charging stations. Level 1 chargers are included with the vehicle and plug into the standard household outlet; Level 2 home chargers are installed on a 240-volt dedicated circuit to enable faster charging. Subsidies for Level  States configure their home charger subsidies based either on fixed amounts or as a percentage of the equipment's price and/or installation costs. Amongst the home charger policies implemented at the state-level, Missouri has the most generous incentive, up to $1,500 for hardware and installation, while Arizona has the least generous, providing a maximum of $75 for installation. Colorado offers a 20% subsidy while Illinois, New York, and Louisiana (in its first iteration of this policy) offer a 50% subsidy. Maryland originally offered up to a $400 income tax credit for the cost of the hardware, and  then converted it to a rebate capped at $900 that covers both the hardware and installation cost. Similar to vehicle purchase incentives, the durations of home charger subsidy programs are subject to funding caps and sunset dates. Utilities servicing the majority of residential customers in two states, Georgia and Michigan, also provide a subsidy for home chargers [4]. Some utilities have provided free or subsidized equipment and/or installation as part of pilot programs to gather information on EV charging habits and grid impacts.

Emissions inspection exemptions
The Federal Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. § 7511a) mandates emission testing in major metropolitan areas that do not meet ambient air quality standards. Among regulated states, 1 some do not require or waive emission inspection requirements for EVs. Fig. 6 displays states that exempt EVs from emissions testing and the estimated annual savings from the exemption. Because fees in some states vary by area (county or metropolitan area), they are aggregated and weighted by area population. In Pennsylvania, fees vary by county and station; an unweighted average of station fees for each county provided by the State of Pennsylvania is used.

Time-of-Use (TOU) electricity rates
Many utilities offer EV-oriented TOU electricity rates, often as a pilot program, to encourage offpeak charging. Eligibility for TOU rates may require a separate meter for EV charging or EV charging can be combined with household consumption. The states presented in Fig. 7 have TOU rates offered specifically for EVs by utilities which service over 50 percent of residential customers in the state [4].   h1  h2  h1  h2  h1  h2  h1  h2  h1  h2  h1  h2  CO  $50  GA  $200  ID  $ Fig. 8 displays eleven states with HOV lane exemptions for EVs regardless of their passenger count and shows the estimated annual value of access to an HOV lane for an EV driver [5].
Some states, like California, require EVs to have special decals or license plates to provide visible identification when they are driven in HOV lanes. Some states charge a minimal fee and a few states, such as Arizona, California, and Utah, only issue a limited number of permits. 2 However, only Arizona hit its cap for PHEV permits within our sample period.
To estimate the value of HOV lane access, a measure of congestion in major U.S. metropolitan areas from 1982 to 2014 provided by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute's (TTI) Urban Mobility Scorecard [6] is used as a starting point. Using Bento et al.'s [7] estimate for the value of HOV lane access in Southern California ($743 annually) divided by TTI's estimate of congestion for the Los Angeles area in the same year, yields a parameter that reflects the percent of congestion costs that could be relieved by access to HOV lanes, 43 percent in Southern California. The state's level of congestion is estimated by taking a population weighted average of metropolitan area congestion for the state. The share parameter is applied to estimate the value of HOV lane access per person by state from 2010 to 2014 [8]. Missing 2015 values are generated by increasing the 2014 values by the change in the U.S. All Urban Consumers consumer price index (CPI) [9]. Using this methodology, the annual value of HOV lane access for EVs ranges between $300 and $700. Note that the application of parameters derived from Southern California to the other 49 states is a crude approximation for the value of HOV lane access in those states. Moreover, even within California, this value does not accrue to all EV owners, as proximity to and use of HOV lanes vary widely.

Designated parking and free parking
Six states mandate designated parking for EVs, as shown in Fig. 9. Hawaii goes further by requiring all parking lots with more than 100 stalls to provide an EV space with charging facilities. Two states, Hawaii and Nevada, 3 offer free parking in public metered areas, also shown in Fig. 9. Hawaii is the only state where free parking is also available at state airports.

Annual EV Fee
A growing number of states are imposing an annual fee on EVs to make up for lost gasoline taxes. This fee is assessed in addition to the standard registration fee. Fig. 10 displays the duration and amounts of the annual fee, which range from $50 to $200.

Experimental design, materials and methods
The Alternative Fuel Database Center (AFDC) was our baseline resource to document existing and expired state policies related to EVs [10]. However, the timing and duration of state policies were often missing. In addition, sub-state level policies are documented to the extent that they affected a majority of the state's population or customer base. Publicly available data within the AFDC is supplemented with information from over 300 government (state, city, and county) and utility websites, including use of the WayBackMachine [11], a website archive. Because most government websites have up-to-date information on current policies, they often lack information on introduction dates and policies that have since expired. The use of this website archive allowed for filling in data from earlier versions of state and local government websites. For missing information unavailable online, phone and email inquiries were made to various state departments (Taxation, Revenue, 2 Permit fees were not taken into account in our calculations of the value of HOV lane access. 3 State legislation mandates that local jurisdictions create free parking programs for AFVs in Nevada. The City of Reno and City of Nevada have established programs. Transportation, Motor Vehicles, Energy, Environmental Quality, Public Utilities Commission, etc.) and Clean Cities Coalitions, a state and city-level organization supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. A total of nine policy instruments are documented, including the timing of their introduction and, where relevant, end date. Though there may be instances where legislation has passed and had a substantial lag in implementation, to the best of our ability, the semi-annual dates reported reflect dates of policy implementation. In addition to the types and timing of policy instruments, their estimated value is also provided when possible. For vehicle purchase incentives, home charger subsidies, vehicle license tax or registration fees, and the annual EV fee, these are documented in current dollars. For emissions inspection exemptions and high occupancy vehicle lane access, assumptions are made to estimate the annual value of these policy instruments. Note, the data presented in Figs. 1-10 aggregate the detailed data collected by model within each state and semi-annual time period. The disaggregated data can be downloaded in csv format here: https://sites.google.com/a/hawaii.edu/sher ilyn/statepoliciesbymodel.csv?attredirects ¼0&d ¼1.