California and eight other states announced a plan Wednesday to promote electric vehicle sales.
The plan lists 80 steps that automakers, dealers, utilities, government officials and charging and fueling companies should take between 2018 to 2021 to boost adoption of zero-emission vehicles, mainly electric vehicles but also plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
The states recommend increasing advertisements, encouraging ride-and-drive events for people to become comfortable with battery-powered cars, and building a reliable network of charging stations in residential, workplace and public charging areas to boost the range of electric vehicles.
They also encourage automakers to continue manufacturing a variety of zero-emission vehicles, regardless of whether the Environmental Protection Agency lowers fuel-efficiency standards as expected.
[Also read: Most voters don’t like electric cars because of the subsidies, says new poll]
Battery-powered cars cost thousands of dollars more than most gasoline vehicles.
In addition to California, participants include Oregon, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Collectively, they make up one-third of the U.S. car market.
“With every action by the Trump administration to roll back proven emission standards, New York will continue to combat the damaging effects of climate change by aggressively pushing forward our nation leading energy and climate goals,” said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. “By partnering with our Northeast neighbors, we will expand this fight by working together to increase charging infrastructure and electric vehicle use to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and create cleaner, greener communities throughout the state and across the northeast region.”
The move comes as the EPA is working on a new rule to weaken fuel-efficiency rules imposed by the Obama administration that sought to encourage the transition to electric vehicles from gasoline-fueled cars. Obama’s fuel-efficiency and greenhouse gas rules for cars and light trucks had set a 54-mile per gallon standard by 2025, up from the current average of 38.3 mpg.
California has a waiver under the Clean Air Act allowing it to adopt tougher rules, and it has led the fight opposing the Trump administration’s attempt to change the standards. California and 17 other states, including all of those on the action plan, sued the Trump administration last month for rejecting the Obama fuel-efficiency rules and taking steps to weaken them.
Other states can follow California’s stricter rules. The EPA is weighing a challenge to California’s waiver.
The state action plan builds off a set of recommendations it issued in 2014. Since then, the states say, the number of zero-emission vehicle sales in the U.S. has grown from 200,000 cars to more than 750,000, as battery costs drop and the range of electric cars improves.
Automakers cheered the goals of the plan, noting how companies have already made progress in developing electric vehicles.
Almost 60 zero-emission models on the market, including 34 plug-in hybrids, 21 battery electric and three hydrogen fuel cells, according to the Department of Energy.
But the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a major trade group, also said states can do more to encourage wider adoption.
“Automakers have invested billions of dollars in developing zero-emission vehicles and have a big stake in selling them in large numbers,” said Gloria Bergquist, vice president of public affairs for the auto group. “With the goal of moving more people to electric vehicles, states and utilities must commit to investing in the charging infrastructure that is needed to support consumer adoption. Another important step would be for these states to lead by example and commit to purchasing electric vehicles for their own government fleets. That will go a long way in demonstrating their commitment to meeting these highly ambitious mandates.”
