The number of electric vehicles on North Carolina roads increased 54% in 2022 — a big jump for a single year — but EVs still make up a tiny fraction of all vehicles.

A total of 38,374 electric vehicles were registered in North Carolina as of Dec. 31, up from 24,997 a year ago, according to the state Department of Transportation. That’s still less than 1% of all cars and trucks on the road and far short of Gov. Roy Cooper’s goal of 1.25 million EVs by 2030 — just seven years from now.

Reaching that goal would require sales averaging about 173,000 a year until then. But the governor’s climate advisor, Zach Pierce, sees exponential growth ahead.

« At this stage, the challenge is not the demand, it’s meeting the demand, » Pierce said.

Sales will increase as long as manufacturers develop « a consumer experience that is reliable, (and) is affordable, » he said.

And one more thing, Pierce added: « When you look at the waiting lists, the challenge isn’t necessarily the demand for the vehicles, it’s going to be making sure that we have adequate charging infrastructure in place. »

The Cooper administration has announced funding to build out the charging network. And it’s working on a North Carolina Clean Transportation Plan due out in the coming months that will include efforts to promote electric vehicles, he said.

Meanwhile, a broader nationwide charging network is also a goal of the Biden administration.

Electric vehicles are now registered in all 100 North Carolina counties, with the highest concentrations in the Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte areas.

Registrations of plug-in hybrids (which include a smaller battery that can power the car for shorter distances) also grew last year, by 30%, to 15,601.