MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — "Primarily because in the last seven or eight years or so, Waco has really become a tourism town," said economist at The Perryman Group in Waco, Ray Perryman.
Waco's Metropolitan Planning Organization approved a $2 million grant from the American Rescue Plan Act on Thursday, to add more charging stations along the outer highways of I-35.
According to the numbers, a report from research website I See Cars, says Waco ranks as one of the lowest cities in the nation for EV friendliness — this could be for a number of reasons.
"Texas kind of has a love affair with oil and gas, because it's a big state that's spread out — we have a love affair with our cars and trucks," Perryman said.
The Sales Manager at the University Kia on La Salle Avenue says he's seen a slight increase in electric vehicle sales from Waco residents — 80 percent of his EV stock was gone as of Wednesday.
However, a lot of the sales have to do with surrounding cities like Dallas and Austin.
"I think you'll see demand increase in Texas — I don't think you'll see it be dramatic, but demand will slowly increase," Perryman said.
He says apart from the increased tourism, Tesla's relocation from California to Austin in 2021 is also contributing to the increase in charging stations.
"Texas is emerging as a major location for this type of manufacturing," Perryman said.
But the biggest factor he mentioned, was Texans love for cars, trucks, and the big presence of the oil industry.
According to the state, Texas produced nearly two billion barrels of gasoline in 2023.
That doesn't seem to be going away soon because "electric cars run on electricity and a huge portion of electricity runs on natural gas."
