The electrification of cars and small trucks is on the horizon, but the state of Kansas is doing the bare minimum to be prepared.
A new state scorecard from the advocacy group the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy ranks the state 29th, with a score of 15.5 out of 100.
Only five states scored at least half of the available points.
“This means that all states can improve their policies,” said Bryan Howard, the scorecard’s lead author.
He said the scorecard is intended to help identify promising policies related to EVs (electric vehicles) and EV-charging infrastructure.
The rankings evaluated states based on actions taken to promote and support the use of electric vehicles. That included how much charging infrastructure exists, what kind of financial incentives or tax breaks are available and whether or not a state has set any goals for better outfitting itself for cars that need to plug in.
Kansas scored poorly in almost every category.
The few highlights include the number of publicly available charging stations, although most are found in the more populated eastern part of the state.
The state also received points because Evergy, the state’s largest electric utility, offers special rates for EV owners who charge up at times when the demand for electricity is lowest.
The report suggests that Kansas and other low-scoring states could start to improve scores by setting some goals.
“You know the states that have kind of established that North star,” Nick Voris, manager of electrification products at Evergy, said. “They act differently than those that don’t.”
As a company that would make more money from the electrification of transportation, Evergy backs several of the policies recommended in the report.
State legislators are currently considering one of those recommendations — a bill that would allow businesses to charge customers for using EV charging stations the same way gas stations sell fuel.
Right now that would be considered selling electricity, and any company that sells it would be regulated like a public utility.
“This is a critical step in setting up a robust and competitive marketplace for electric vehicle charging services,” said Justin Wilson, of electric vehicle charging company ChargePoint.
