The fleet of plug-in electric vehicles in the United States is the largest in the world. Since 2008 around 75,000 highway-capable plug-in electric cars have been sold in the country through December 2012, with sales led by the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid with 31,458 units, followed by the Nissan Leaf all-electric car with 19,512 units, and the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid with 12,750 units. As of January 2013, other plug-in electric drive motor vehicles available for sale in the country include the Smart ED, Wheego Whip, Fisker Karma, Mitsubishi i, BMW ActiveE, Ford Focus Electric, Coda sedan, Tesla Model S, Honda Fit EV, RAV4 EV (second generation), Ford C-Max Energi, Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid, and several models of neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs).
The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, and later the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) granted tax credits for new qualified plug-in electric vehicles. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) also authorized federal tax credits for converted plug-ins, though the credit is lower than for new PEVs. The federal tax credit for new plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) is worth US$2,500 plus US$417 for each kilowatt-hour of battery capacity over 5 kWh, and the portion of the credit determined by battery capacity cannot exceed US$5,000. Therefore, the total amount of the credit allowed for a new PEV is US$7,500. Several states have established incentives and tax exemptions for BEVs and PHEV, and other non-monetary incentives.
The U.S. government also has pledged US$2.4 billion in federal grants to support the development of next-generation electric cars and batteries, and US$115 million for the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in 16 different metropolitan areas around the country. As of October 2012, there are 13,967 public charging units in the U.S., led by California with 3,472 units, followed by Texas with 1,155, and Washington with 1,013 units. In his 2011 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama set the goal for the U.S. to become the first country to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Considering the actual slow rate of PEV sales, as of mid 2012 several industry observers have concluded that this goal is unattainable.
Via Wikipedia
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