Washington

Why is it like this in Washington?

Washington has the largest electric-over-gas advantage of any U.S. state. Hydropower from the Columbia River system supplies over 60% of Washington's electricity, and public utility districts pass those low generation costs through to consumers as residential rates around 11.4¢/kWh. Combined with above-average gasoline prices on the West Coast, the result is a roughly 4-to-1 cost advantage for charging.

In the news · Washington

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  PSE electric, gas rate hikes approved

  Seattle Times · Jan 18, 2025

  Washington's UTC approved PSE's 11.5% electric rate increase for 2025 and 6.4% for 2026 — a significant jump, but Washington's rates (~11–14¢/kWh) remain among the lowest in the West, maintaining a strong per-mile cost advantage for PHEV electric driving over gasoline.

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  Puget Sound Energy proposes hefty rate hikes to pay for hydro and wind power

  Seattle Times · May 1, 2024

  PSE's rate-hike proposal — to fund renewable energy buildout — previewed the approved 2025 increases and explains the underlying grid investment costs that are pushing up Washington's historically low electricity rates, with implications for the long-term economics of PHEV electric driving.

• 
  WA's high gas prices make it the best state to go electric, study says

  Seattle Times · Aug 9, 2023

  An Energy Innovation study found Washington's combination of high gas prices and low hydropower-based electricity rates makes it the single best state in the US to switch to electric driving — a dynamic that remains structurally intact today for PHEV cost comparisons.

Curated coverage of Washington's EV/PHEV cost, policy, and infrastructure story. External links open in a new tab.

West region comparison