Combating Tailpipe Emissions: An Analysis of State Electric Vehicle Incentives

Thompson, Andrew

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Combating Tailpipe Emissions: An Analysis of State Electric Vehicle Incentives Public Deposited

Analytics

Download PDF

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/x920fx85w

Abstract

The transportation industry is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. There is a wide range of issues related to our changing climate that threatens our daily lives. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has provided guidance to nations to respond to the increasing levels of greenhouse gases, and decarbonize their transportation systems. Consequently, the federal and state governments are tasked with using the powers reserved to them to mitigate these issues. One potential solution is adopting climate mitigation strategies to reduce overall emission at a state level. Some states have introduced electric vehicle incentive policies to increase the rates of adoption for of zero emission electric vehicles in effort to reduce emissions. However, these policies have not been fully reviewed in terms of their effectiveness. Previously, incentive policies have been shown to have a positive correlation with increased vehicle sales. This study builds on the foundation of research that seeks to create a more inclusive understanding of the relationships between electric vehicle incentives and electric vehicle adoption. The findings of this study show that electric vehicle incentives are indeed effective at increasing electric vehicle sales. Considering the study’s findings, further research is needed to create a more robust understanding of electric vehicle adoption to determine if state policy incentives or market factors are more influential.

Creator