All over the world, lawmakers want a total ban of new gasoline-powered vehicles. Japan is on its way there, and individual cities are moving towards this goal too. Europe is also aiming to kill sales of new combustion-engine vehicles, and that law could make its way to America sooner than some might like. For others, it can't happen soon enough, because the USA is home to "superusers," a group of drivers that use far more fuel than the average person. According to a report compiled by advocacy group Coltura, one in ten US drivers burn a whopping 32% of gasoline used in US light-duty vehicles. This is more than the bottom 60% of drivers consume combined.

The report says that the reason for this is greater mileage covered in less efficient vehicles. These so-called superusers drive three times more miles than average and are more likely to drive pickups and SUVs. Part of the reason for this is that these drivers are said to be more likely to live in rural areas, although some metropolitan areas are noteworthy for extreme gasoline usage too, including Houston, Detroit, and St. Louis. By state, Louisiana, Wyoming, and Mississippi are those with the highest concentration of superusers. Coltura says that these results prove the need for EV policy revisions that focus on the biggest gasoline users, especially those in the Midwest.

Fortunately, charging networks like Electrify America have begun to expand their reach in these areas, and the plethora of new electric vehicles on the market from workhorses like the Ford F-150 Lightning to family runabouts like the Volkswagen ID.4 is helping to make going electric cheaper and more convenient. These relatively affordable vehicles are imperative to improving the situation, but there is still a lot of work to do to convince the average American to give up their V8-powered truck or SUV, especially in areas where these sorts of vehicles are arguably the default choice. Hopefully, governments and automakers continue to find ways to make looking after the environment easier.