Guide to Electric Vehicles in Florida

We’re about to delve into the electric car scene in Florida. Let’s look at ownership, charging stations, the law, and much more in the Sunshine State.

We’ll start off by looking at how many EVs are currently on the road, electric car incentives in Florida, the number of registrations and licensing/fees, as well as the charging infrastructure.

We’re about to equip you with all the essential knowledge if you’re driving an EV and want to go emission-free in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, or Jacksonville. Fasten your seatbelts, we’re about to take an electric ride to Florida.

• How Many EVs Are There in Florida?
• Are There Incentives for Electric Cars in Florida?
• EV registration, licensing, and fees in Florida
• Florida EV charging network

How Many EVs Are There in Florida?

Please see the below overview for some key points about electric car ownership in Florida. EVs are more popular here compared with most other states, and they are certainly on the rise. Please see the below overview for some key points about electric car ownership in Florida.

• Total number of EV registrations – 95,640
• Percent of total vehicle registrations in the state – 6.58%
• Percent of total US EV registrations – 6.7%
• YOY growth of ownership in recent years – +64.44%

Going green on the roads in Florida isn’t just about getting from place to place, it’s about putting in the steps to significantly reduce the carbon load. It’s about the collective effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make driving on the roads an eco-friendly endeavor.

Florida is ahead of most states, in terms of electric car ownership – just second place after California. Driving an EV is quite easy, with numerous chargers dotted around the state. With more plans for further development, the future of electric vehicles in the state looks set to soar in the sunshine state.

The state is looking to completely overhaul its public sector vehicles to Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV), with all public fleets to achieve 100% zero emissions on all vehicles before 2050. The initial steps for this initiative are already in place, however, it will be some time yet before it is fully realized.

Are There Incentives for Electric Cars in Florida?

Imagine you’re driving down Miami beach, the cool ocean breeze in your hair, the basking sunshine gleaming down onto your car – all this whilst knowing you’re helping the planet. You can drive with peace of mind, knowing you’re not adding any nasty emissions into the earth’s atmosphere.

Yes, there are some incentives for EV ownership in Florida, but not as many as in other states. The incentives in Florida include:

EV Registration, Licensing, and Fees in Florida

Below is some state-specific information relating to registration, licensing, and insurance for an EV in Florida. Here is an overview of some of the key details to keep in mind.

• Registration fees – $200
• Electric Vehicle Decal – HOV decal allows the use of High Occupancy Vehicle Lane at any time.
• Vehicle Excise Duty/Road tax – $135 (for pure EVs weighing under 10,000 pounds).
• Licensing and insurance considerations – Some insurance companies offer discounts on EV vehicles in Florida.

Florida EV Charging Network

You’re never too far from an EV charging spot in the Sunshine State. The infrastructure means you can avoid range anxiety as there are numerous chargers currently in place. This is set to increase even more with the development plans. We’ve delved into
the numbers to give you an idea of what to expect.

• Total number of charging stations in this state – 7,477
• Typical costs of use and any incentives that provide free charging – $0.20 to $0.30 per kWh for level 2 chargers and $0.35 per minute for level 3 chargers. Also, if you’re in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area, 650 of the 2,604 EV chargers there are free.
• Plans to invest/expand the charging network – introduce more chargers as a part of the U.S. Department of Energy's recent plans, with the introduction of around 100 new fast chargers in the state.
• State-specific support on home charging – This will depend on the county, for example, the Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) offers residents with a level 2 EV charging station up to $7 per month to encourage home charging installations.

Ready to roll!

Even though there aren’t any significant state-specific rebates just yet, there are still a few things to take advantage of in Florida, like the free use of HOV lanes and some local authority rebates on home charging stations.

The fact that the state is the second highest in ownership numbers in the US makes Florida hard to ignore in terms of the country’s overall EV development plans. Hence there are exciting plans to develop the infrastructure even more here as people continue to adopt EVs in place of gas-powered vehicles.

We’ve equipped you with everything you need to know about driving an electric car in Florida. What are you waiting for? Ready to hit the road with your very own electric transport? Hop in your ride from Hertz and explore Florida with your very own EV.