By Mike Radwanski, Vice Mayor Beth Fennell, and City Manager Thomas J. Fromme
Have you noticed more Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (Hybrids) on the road lately? Sometimes when we buy something, we start seeing it everywhere – that’s called perceptual blindness.
If you’re curious about how many people are really getting EVs and Hybrids, this information is for you.
We looked into car charging station demand and found some surprising data, specifically on Campbell County.
Check out the Ky Transportation Cabinet Data Mart to see EV registrations by county at https://datamart.kytc.ky.gov/. Additional data from OKI and the Department of Energy was also considered.
Can you guess the number of EV and Hybrid registrations in Campbell County last year? Remember your numbers for later.
Charging stations have come a long way since EVs appeared. There are many cool ideas like magnetic charging spots and wireless road charging. Ford has even patented a system for charging while driving. As more people buy EVs, we might charge on highways too. But technology could evolve, making today’s charging options outdated.
For now, there are EV stations at Hampton Inn and Newport on the Levee. These are good spots for longer charging times.
Now, let’s see the real numbers for Campbell County registrations:
Electric Vehicles:
-2022: 173
-2021: 121
-2020: 82
-2019: 57
-2018: 30
-2017: 19
-2016: 13
Hybrid Electric Vehicles:
-2022: 1367
-2021: 1173
-2020: 1054
-2019: 959
-2018: 900
-2017: 805
-2016: 716
Were your guesses close?
As you can see, the numbers might be lower than you thought.
Based on these numbers, we estimate that there are around 50 EVs and 250 hybrids in Newport.
Although the numbers may be low, the City of Newport is currently looking to place a few public charging stations in anticipation of growing demand.
Wide-spread acceptance of EV’s by the public may take several decades, but we will be prepared when that time comes.
Mike Radwanski is a Newport City Commissioner, Beth Fennell is Vice Mayor, and Tom Fromme is Newport City Manager.