Eight states have agreed to get 3.3 million zero emission cars on the roads, in part, by getting more charging stations built.
The push to get more zero emission vehicles on U.S. roads just got a significant boost as eight governors pledged to get 3.3 million more non-polluting cars on the roads by 2025.
The agreement by the leaders from California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Oregon, Maryland, Rhode Island, New York and Vermont isn’t binding, but includes what many observers consider a key component to getting more of those vehicles on the road: a commitment to build charging stations and other infrastructure components.
While the agreement requires no specific financial commitment, the deal has the states working together to change building codes and other regulations to allow a quick rollout of new charging stations.
“This is not just an agreement, but a serious and profoundly important commitment,” said California Gov. Jerry Brown in a statement. “From coast to coast, we’re charging ahead to get millions of the world’s cleanest vehicles on our roads.”
There are more than 6,700 charging stations open to the public in the signatory states.
The eight states account for 23% of the automotive market in the U.S.
Each of the eight states had already adopted rules requiring a percentage of new vehicles sold to be zero emission by 2025. California’s mandate of 15.4% calls for a total of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles to be on the state’s roads by that time.
(EV sales continue to rise. For more information, Click Here.)
Currently, plug-in-hybrids and electric vehicles currently make up less than 2% of the auto market there.
While infrastructure may be a limiting factor, the number of offerings from automakers is not. There are now 16 zero-emission vehicles from eight manufacturers on the market, including nine battery electrics, two hydrogen fuel cell cars and five plug-in hybrid models.
(Click Here for more about concerns regarding diesel emissions.)
Officials say that every automaker will have a zero-emission model by 2015.
Electric vehicles sales have been increasing for each of the last three years. There have been 59,000 electric vehicles through September. There were about 52,000 last year and 17,000 in 2011.
They can’t maintain the existing roadways but they have tax payer money to subsidize EVs that don’t pay a DIME in road taxes yet they use the same roads as everyone else. This is more unscrupulous government abusing the people.
If EV makers want to sell EV’s then they should convince independent parties to build recharging stations – just as oil companies built gas stations to supply fuel for automotive engines. Tax payers should NOT be paying to support EVs any more than they should be paying to build gas stations.
It’s just OUTRAGEOUS the way U.S. government abuses the people who pay for everything.
Jorge:
The government pays for these projects, in part, to retain some sort of control over them. That said, I agree…I’d like to see the entrepreneurs take some stake in the process. Thus far, Tesla, i.e. Musk, seems to be the only one willing to step up and start building a network. I have concerns about leaving the rest of it to potential monopolies…a little more partnering seems to be in order.
Mike
As long as they do it without tax payer monet, that’s fine. There is absolutely NO legitimate reason for tax payers to be funding this infrastructure. And while they are at it they need to stop the bogus tax credits and sunsidies for EVs and place a road tax directly on EVs that must be paid yearly just as consumers of auto fuel pay a road tax.