Household characteristics and electric vehicle adoption: changes from 2017 to 2022

State and federal agencies have set several ambitious goals regarding electric vehicle sales in the United States. For example, the Biden Administration has set a target that 50% of new vehicle sales be electric by 2030. California aims to have 100% of new vehicles be zero-emission by the 2035 model year. This paper uses data from the 2017 and 2022 National Household Travel Surveys to document the extent of progress achieved in pursuit of these goals. These nationally representative surveys indicate that electric vehicle ownership has increased for both homeowners and renters, across all income groups, in single- and multi-vehicle households, and for urban and rural households. The results also highlight a few areas that vehicle manufacturers and policymakers need to address to accelerate the transition to a vehicle fleet that is less dependent on fossil fuels.