In October 2018, former Gov. Roy Cooper signed
Executive Order No. 80 which set a goal of at least 80,000 registered zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) in North Carolina by 2025 and directed the N.C. Department of Transportation to develop a ZEV strategic plan to guide ZEV adoption in the state. Following a one year stakeholder process and public comment period, the final
North Carolina ZEV Plan was released on Sept. 26, 2019. The plan identifies four action areas to support ZEV adoption: education, convenience, affordability, and policy.
In 2022, NCDOT released a progress update on the plan.
ZEV Registration Data
The current rate of ZEV adoption - including battery electric and plug-in hybrid - can be viewed in the graph below. Battery electric cars are 100 percent powered by an electric motor paired with a long-range battery, while plug-in hybrid cars have both a gas engine and electric motor with a medium-range battery.
Current Progress
The current rate of ZEV adoption can be viewed in the graph below.
A new method of tracking registered electric vehicles provides more accurate data by eliminating duplicate records and not including vehicles with plates recently removed from circulation. Please understand this if you’re using registration data published on the website prior to May 2025.