PHOENIX — Arizona now ranks among the top ten states for electric vehicle ownership, with more than 120,000 EVs registered on the road, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
But big changes are coming for EV drivers, and anyone thinking about buying one, starting at the end of September. Starting October 1, EV owners in Arizona will lose access to the HOV lane, along with the federal $7,500 tax credit that helped many buyers afford their first electric car.
Plugging in has become commonplace. Electric vehicles, or EVs, now come in all shapes and sizes and are produced by nearly every major automaker.
Peter Culin bought his first EV 14 years ago, motivated by environmental concerns.
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“The future of our planet depends on a lot of things. But if we can do anything possible to help improve the conditions, improve air quality, it’s better for everybody,” Culin said.
The “Big Beautiful Bill,” passed earlier this summer, ended the long-standing tax incentive. Republican lawmakers argued the credit primarily benefited wealthy Americans and did little to reduce emissions, while the majority of U.S. electricity is still generated from fossil fuels.
Despite the loss of the federal tax break, local utilities like SRP are continuing their EV customer charging incentives.
“EVs have zero tailpipe emissions, so they are more environmentally friendly that way, more sustainable,” said Jason Smith of Salt River Project.
For Culin, the end of the incentives won’t change his decision to stick with electric.
“Even on dirty grids, Electric vehicles will outperform on tailpipe emissions and carbon emissions than any gas car,” Culin said.
