Chevy beats Tesla for most driven electric vehicle among West Palm drivers

Lianna Norman, Palm Beach Post
Updated ·4 min read
7

WEST PALM BEACH — West Palm Beach is ranked 35 out of 82 metro areas for the most electric vehicle drivers, according to the latest EV research from automotive industry search engine iSeeCars. In its most recent study, the company examined the miles driven on 3-year-old electric vehicles to identify which ones are driven the most.

Although a No. 35 ranking may seem discouraging for the amount of investment that has been put into Palm Beach County's local electric vehicle infrastructure, like free EV charging stations, West Palm Beach drivers use their EVs 12.6% more than the national percentage of EV usage.

Chevrolet beats Tesla for favorite car among EV drivers in West Palm Beach

Florida Power & Light's new mobile electric vehicle charging station, which can charge up to six electric vehicles during a power outage, is parked on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at Florida Power & Light in Riviera Beach, Fla. Ahead of the start of the 2023 hurricane season, FPL officials held the utility's annual storm drill, as well as displayed storm response technologies at its Riviera Beach location.

Tesla may reign supreme nationwide, but in West Palm, electric drivers love Chevy. According to the study, the three most-driven electric vehicles in West Palm Beach are the Chevrolet Bolt EV, Hyundai Ioniq Electric and Tesla Model Y.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, the average person drives around 13,500 miles each year.

Here are averages for how many miles EV drivers in West Palm put on their cars each year for the top 5 electric vehicles used in the area:

  1. Chevrolet Bolt EV - 12,203 miles

  2. Hyundai Ioniq Electric - 11,893 miles

  3. Tesla Model Y - 9,977 miles

  4. Nissan LEAF - 9,607 miles

  5. Tesla Model 3 - 9,427 miles

On average, electric vehicle drivers in West Palm Beach put 9,184 miles on their cars each year, over 4,000 miles less than what the average person drives yearly, according to the iSeeCars study. This is likely because of range anxiety, or drivers' feelings surrounding the lengthy process of fueling up an EV and EV charger accessibility.

Although EV charging is becoming more accessible, it still takes at least 30 minutes to fuel an EV. It typically takes around an hour or longer.

I test drove a Chevy Bolt for a week: Here's why I'm not running to the dealership just yet

How much do West Palm EV drivers use their cars, compared to those who drive gas-powered?

Florida Power & Light's new mobile electric vehicle charging station, which can charge up to six electric vehicles during a power outage, is parked on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at Florida Power & Light in Riviera Beach, Fla. Ahead of the start of the 2023 hurricane season, FPL officials held the utility's annual storm drill, as well as displayed storm response technologies at its Riviera Beach location.

Drivers in West Palm who use gas-powered vehicles typically put around 11,000 miles on their cars each year. Electric Vehicle drivers in West Palm put just over 9,000 miles on their cars every year.

This means the average EV driver in West Palm is using their car 16.4% less than drivers in West Palm who use gas-powered cars. This margin is slimmer than the national gap in driving between EV drivers and those driving on gas. Nationally, EV drivers use their cars nearly 30% less, according to the study.

Where can I charge my EV in West Palm?

West Palm Beach has 115 public charging stations and 99 of them are free to use. Most electric vehicle chargers in West Palm are either Tesla or electric vehicle charging industry giant ChargePoint, which has over 170,000 charging locations nationwide.

Tesla's charging ports are only compatible with Tesla cars. ChargePoint's charging ports are compatible with every EV in the market and can even charge Tesla cars with an adapter.

With this interactive map from Charge hub, you can search for chargers in your area and organize them by brand and availability. The location icon on an EV charger near you will appear green if it is available or red if it is in use.

These are the four most popular charging stations in West Palm Beach, according to Chargehub:

  • City Center Garage, near Clematis Street - 125 North Dixie Highway. ChargePoint and Tesla chargers are on the second level of the parking garage, across from the elevators.

  • Ross Dress for Less at the Tanger Outlets - 1865 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. Two ChargePoint ports are located near the Ross Dress for Less.

  • Palm Beach Harley-Davidson - 2955 45th Street. One ChargePoint Port is in the parking lot of the Palm Beach Harley-Davidson.

  • The Square parking garage - 700 South Rosemary Ave. There are nine charging ports on the second floor of the Rosemary Avenue parking garage at The Square.

Tesla makes America's top 4 favorite electric vehicles

Nationally, all but one of the top 5 spots for most-used EVs is taken up by industry giant Tesla, with Hyundai coming in at fifth place.

Here are national averages for how many miles EV drivers put on their cars each year for the top 5 electric vehicles used nationally:

  1. Tesla Model X - 10,387 miles

  2. Tesla Model Y - 10,199 miles

  3. Tesla Model 3 - 9,960 miles

  4. Tesla Model S - 9,340 miles

  5. Hyundai Kona Electric - 8,260 miles

Lianna Norman covers trending news in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at lnorman@pbpost.com. You can follow her reporting on social media @LiannaNorman on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Chevrolet beats Tesla for favorite EV of West Palm drivers