3 Stocks to Buy for the Future of Electric Vehicles

There’s little doubt that electric vehicles will be dominant in the future. In California last quarter, plug-in vehicles accounted for 24% of all light vehicles sold, and 21% of all light vehicles sold were pure EVs. With the federal government heavily incentivizing the purchase of EVs through the tax code, and spearheading the development of a massive national EV charging network, there’s little doubt that the rest of the country will follow in California’s footsteps. Meanwhile, EV adoption in Europe and China has reached much higher than in America. Put it all together, and for long-term investors, finding top-notch EV stocks to buy makes sense.

Indeed, in the shorter term, Wall Street’s increased friendliness towards growth stocks in the EV sector will undoubtedly be positive for the stocks on this list. Among the factors behind the Street’s increased affinity for EV stocks is the revelation that one well-regarded multi-billionaire investor bought Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock last quarter, while another purchased Rivian’s shares in the same time frame.

With that said, let’s dive into why these three EV stocks to buy should be on investors’ radar right now.

Tesla (TSLA)

In line with my previous predictions, all of the hand-wringing about the impact of Elon Musk’s controversial policies at Twitter and the automaker’s price cuts appears to be over. That’s because, after Tesla reported strong fourth-quarter results, it’s evident that only a relatively small number of people globally will refrain from buying Teslas.

After all, while many may still be upset with Musk, the company’s price cuts have enabled the automaker’s EVs to qualify for tax credits in the U.S.. Additionally, these lower prices will make Tesla’s more competitive in Europe and China. Thus, for those bullish on Tesla winning the market share game, this move is one that should be viewed as a positive.

Also apparent is that, despite these price cuts, it appears Tesla can still generate huge profits.

Meanwhile, the decision by George Soros to buy over 242,000 shares of TSLA stock convinces me that the federal government doesn’t plan to take any significant, punitive actions against Tesla anytime soon. With Tesla’s full-size truck, the Tesla Semi, on the way, the company clearly has tremendous potential. At the same time, the huge power wielded by Tesla’s brand, the fact that consumers love its EVs, and the company’s ability to sell many software subscriptions should enable Tesla and TSLA stock to be a successful long-term holding.

Rivian (RIVN)

Speaking of EV stocks to buy with a strong brand, Rivian (NASDAQ:RIVN) is another company that Wall Street appears to be growing more fond toward.

In a Feb. 15 note to investors, Truist reported that Rivian had “made significant progress growing its brand awareness.” Moreover, the firm believes it will be easier than it previously thought for automakers to sell electric pickups. And finally, the company determined that, when it comes to consumers’ views of electric truck makers, Rivian and Tesla are tied for first. That, of course, is tremendously positive news for Rivian. Truist has a $50 price target and a buy rating on RIVN Stock.

I think this analyst note is important for investors. Thinking about brand value, and the extent to which valuations are driven by consumer perception (at this stage in the growth cycle) is very important. Thus, I think that Truist’s note will go a long way towards making investors aware of how well-positioned Rivian is to become a vast, highly successful automaker.

Another factor I think could be bullish for RIVN stock in the near-term is the news that another multi-billionaire investor, Paul Tudor Jones, had dipped his toes into the water, buying $660,000 of RIVN stock this past quarter.

ChargePoint (CHPT)

As I noted in a recent piece on EVgo (NASDAQ:EVGO), “the U.S. Department of Transportation is poised to spend $5 billion this year on subsidizing not only the deployment of EV chargers but also their proper operation and maintenance..Consequently, a huge amount of EVgo’s costs will be covered starting in 2023, enabling its profitability to soar.”

Of course, ChargePoint’s bottom line will also get a considerable boost from Washington’s funding, via the Inflation Reduction Act.

This is among the EV stocks to buy that’s been hit hard of late, over concerns tied to Tesla’s decision to enable all EV owners to use its chargers by the end of next year. That said, I think that this development could be bullish for CHPT stock. That’s because I expect this will have the effect of causing EV adoption to accelerate rapidly, and will increase consumer awareness with how charging networks actually operate. Given ChargePoint’s market share lead, I think more adoption is better, and this could paradoxically be a catalysts investors aren’t thinking about.

As of the date of publication, Larry Ramer owned shares of RIVN and EVGO.  The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.