Montana Is One of the Worst Ready States for Electric Vehicles

There's a reason why Montana is near the bottom of a readiness study for electric vehicles - and it probably won't change anytime soon.

Zutobi came out with a ranking of the Most Electric Vehicle Ready States and Montana was almost dead last. Montana is 47th on the list and it's no surprise, to be honest. Montana was near the bottom for the percentage of electric vehicles in use and the distance between charging stations.

Montana is not an electric vehicle-friendly state. If you look at the Tesla Charging Map to find places to charge your electric vehicle, you are going to have to play out your trips carefully. Sure, there are charging stations in Bozeman, Billings, Missoula, and Lima of all places and there are plans to build more in remote areas like Shelby and Custer. But Montana is a large state, and there's often hundreds of miles between locations no matter what you're driving. If you're counting on an electric engine to get you from A to B in perfect road, weather, and traffic conditions, you might still be cutting it close.

If you are wondering why Montana is so low on the list, my guess is one simple reason: Montana is a large, working-class state and Montanans often need big, reliable vehicles for work and recreation. Sure, Tesla has a Cyber Truck coming soon and Ford's F-150 Lightning is coming, but they might not be convincing enough for folks who work landscaping, construction, or other jobs that require constant towing or a lot of truck bed space. Change is on the way though.

The big vehicle manufacturers are planning on making full lines of electric vehicles including trucks and SUVs that aim to be as good as their current gas models. General Motors plans on phasing out fossil fuel vehicles by 2040 and Ford has announced the Ford F-150 Lightning for next year and honestly, it looks pretty sweet. Watch the video below:

Montana might not be electric-vehicle ready compared to other states, but who knows what could happen in the next five years. If the electric trucks and SUVs turn out to be a huge hit and prove themselves as reliable as their gas-powered relatives, we could see a lot more of them in Montana shortly.

For more details, check out Zubito.