27% Growth in Original Registrations
By Cooper Smith
A recent report from Drive Electric Long Island, a local advisory and education group, showed that the region is leading all other parts of the state in the electric vehicle (EV) market.
Long Island accounts for 26% of the state’s total EV registrations, despite representing only 15% of the state’s population, according to the report. In 2024, Long Island experienced a remarkable 27% increase in EV registrations, nearly doubling the state’s growth rate of 14%. Among all registered vehicles, 64% are battery electric vehicles and 36% are plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The report noted that several towns on Long Island are seeing noticeable growth in EV registrations, with Babylon leading the way with a 49.9% increase from 2023. Hempstead had the second highest growth percentage with 45.8% while also holding the most total EVs in Long Island with 14,481. The city of Long Beach was third with a 45.6% increase. The three towns with the most EVs last year were Hempstead (14,481), Oyster Bay (10,818) and North Hempstead (10,517).
According to the report, a key factor of this rapid growth is the “Drive Clean Rebate Program,” which offers financial incentives for purchasing certain electric vehicles. In 2024, Long Island dealerships submitted a total of 15,909 rebate requests, making up 34% of all rebate submissions in New York.
Tesla continues to lead the EV market on Long Island, with the Model Y and Model 3 being the two most popular models on the road, according to Drive Electric Long Island. The Model Y alone accounts for 15,279 units, followed by the Model 3 with 9,576 as battery electric vehicles (BEVs) now make up 64% of the island’s EVs, a slight increase from 62% in 2023. Plug-in hybrids account for 36% with popular models being the Jeep Wrangler Plug-In Hybrid, with 5,103 units, and the Toyota Prius Prime Plug-In Hybrid, with 3,065 units.
While Tesla remains the dominant brand on Long Island, holding 41.4% of the EV market share, the report says, that figure is down from 44.5% in 2023. Jeep has gained ground, now holding 11% of the market, up from 9.5% in 2023. Toyota follows with 9.7%, a decrease from 11.2% last year. In total, 80 EV models from 29 different brands were sold across Long Island in 2024. The number of dealerships submitting rebate requests for non-Tesla vehicles is also growing, as 25 dealers submitted over 100 EV rebate requests in Nassau and Suffolk counties, up from just 16 in 2023.
Drive Electric Long Island said, as EV adoption continues to rise, so does the need for public charging infrastructure. Long Island has seen a steady increase in the availability of both Type 2 and DC Fast Charge charging stations. A significant development in this area is the recent announcement that all major manufacturers will support the Tesla NACS charging standard. This change is expected to expand public charging access for non-Tesla EVs across Long Island, making it even easier for drivers to transition to electric vehicles.