Clean
Car Standards
She
Helped Make California A Clean Air Leader. Now Trump Could Upend That Legacy.
According
to the Los Angeles Times, “She has served under four governors, and has long been the force behind California’s crusade to reduce air pollution, clean car emissions and lead the United States in addressing climate change. But in what she says is likely her
last year in office, Mary Nichols, the chair of the state Air Resources Board, faces the prospect of the U.S. Supreme Court, tilted to the right by President Trump’s appointees, crippling California’s ability to set its own pollution standards. It’s the biggest
threat among dozens of Trump environmental rollbacks that California is fighting in court, Nichols says, and the case that concerns her the most. California sued the Trump administration last year after it moved to revoke the state’s waiver, one of dozens
the federal government has granted over the last 50 years giving the state the authority to adopt its own pollution standards. And while state officials say they are confident in their legal arguments, they are openly determined to prevent the dispute from
reaching the Supreme Court, fearing a conservative majority could strike down the linchpin of their air pollution and climate change policies. As a result, Nichols and California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra have settled on a strategy of trying to outlast Trump,
in the hope that he will lose reelection and that the next president will drop the case.
‘Our strategy is to win, but to win in a way that does not precipitate a Supreme Court taking of this case until Mr. Trump is out of office,’ Nichols said in an interview in December at a cafe near her Los Angeles home.” [Los Angeles Times,
1/10/20
(+)]
More
On Big Auto's K Street Move. According
to Axios, “The new merger of big auto industry trade groups to form the Alliance for Automotive Innovation won’t end the fault lines in the sector’s approach to emissions regulations. Driving the news: The new group says it will not intervene in litigation
over the White House move to strip California’s power to set emissions rules that exceed federal standards. ‘The Alliance for Automotive Innovation does not have a position in the lawsuit,’ John Bozzella, head of the new group, said in a statement. But, but,
but: The industry remains deeply divided because a number of automakers in the new group — including GM, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota — are continuing their prior intervention in that lawsuit on the Trump administration’s side. The other side: Remember that a separate
ad-hoc coalition of Ford, VW, Honda and BMW last summer reached a preliminary agreement with California to adopt more stringent standards than the White House wants. The bottom line: It’s kind of a mess, and at least for now, the creation of a huge new cross-industry
trade group won’t change that dynamic.” [Axios, 1/9/20
(=)]
Congress
Lawmakers
Introduce Climate, Energy And Waste Bills. According
to E&E News, “Legislation to boost U.S. manufacturing of electric vehicles is among several new bills lawmakers introduced this week on topics including drinking water infrastructure and Superfund cleanup financing. H.R. 5558, from Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.),
would speed up the manufacturing of batteries and other electric car parts through grants at an authorized spending level of $2.5 billion for each fiscal year from 2021 to 2030. These grants would prioritize refurbishing factories that have recently closed
or are on the verge of closing. The bill would adjust building codes to accommodate EV charging infrastructure in residential and commercial buildings. In addition, it would require states to further electrify the transportation sector through measures including
integrating EV charging equipment into the grid. ‘We must continue to keep the United States at the forefront of innovation and technology, while simultaneously addressing critical environmental issues,’ Dingell said in a news release. ‘Electric vehicle development
and deployment is critical to advancing the future of transportation, creating jobs and addressing climate change.’ For Dingell, who represents a district spanning from the western Detroit suburbs to Ann Arbor, the ‘USA Electrify Forward Act’ is part of a
continued effort to reinvigorate Michigan auto manufacturing. She is also a sponsor of the ‘Vehicle Innovation Act’ and is one of four Michigan Democrats who introduced the legislation last April (E&E Daily, April 10, 2019).” [E&E News,
1/10/20
(=)]
Electric
Vehicle, Other Energy Measures Clear House Subpanel. According
to Politico, “A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee advanced nine bills today, including one, H.R. 5545 (116), from Chairman Bobby Rush that would authorize tens of billions of dollars to expand the nation’s electric vehicle charging network. Rush’s bill,
introduced just two days ago, would authorize more than $6 billion annually in grants and rebates for electric vehicle infrastructure deployment and manufacturing around the country over the next decade. It also would mandate that 100 percent of light-duty
vehicles be alternative fueled vehicles beginning in fiscal year 2025. ‘This is an important bill, a vitally important bill that will set us on a path toward lower emissions from the transportation sector,’ the Illinois Democrat said at his Energy subcommittee
markup. Republicans complained the panel had not received testimony on many of the measures and scoffed at the costs of the bills. ‘A proposal this sweeping deserves regular order and legislative hearings focused on the implications of its various provisions,’
Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) said of the electric vehicle legislation. ‘We have not conducted the hearings necessary to understand this bill and whether there is a more appropriate approach to cleaner transportation systems.’ Other bills advanced would reauthorize
a program meant to clean the nation’s school bus fleet with a focus on electric vehicle deployment H.R. 2906 (116); authorize and expand DOE’s Clean Cities Coalition program H.R. 5518 (116); creating a grant program to repair and modernize natural gas distribution
systems H.R. 5542 (116); and establishing financial assistance for grid modernization projects H.R. 5527 (116).” [Politico,
1/9/20
(=)]
Panel
Approves Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Legislation. According
to E&E News, “A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee approved a series of electric vehicle and energy infrastructure bills meant to promote zero emission technology. The nine measures — moved by the Subcommittee on Energy via voice vote, despite Republican
apprehension — constitute key provisions in the committee’s larger climate action framework and are likely to be part of draft legislation coming later this month. ‘Collectively, these bills take another step forward in promoting clean and efficient energy
for all Americans,’ Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said in his opening statement. ‘It is part of our ongoing work to combat climate change, strengthen our economy and provide some much needed relief to consumers on their energy bills.’
Leading those efforts were a trio of bills to boost electric vehicles through state grant programs, which would fund EV charging network and school bus replacements. The measures includes Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush’s (D-Ill.) newly unveiled legislation
to promote the wide-scale deployment of an EV network. The bill, H.R. 5545, would authorize more than $6 billion annually during the next decade in rebates and grants to encourage states to deploy and construct a charging network and other infrastructure.
It would also direct the federal government to transform its light duty vehicle fleet into 100% zero emission vehicles by 2050. ‘This is a vitally important bill that will set us on a path to lower emissions from the transportation sector,’ Rush said in defense
of his bill. ‘The time for dillydallying is over.’” [E&E News, 1/9/20
(=)]
Auto
Manufacturers
Former
GM President Says, ‘We Need To Move Beyond The Car’. According
to Forbes, “The statement above wouldn’t be surprising if it came from the head of the Sierra Club or some other environmentally-focused organization. Instead, it was the headline of a recent blog post authored by Dan Ammann, CEO of autonomously driven car-maker
Cruise and the former President of General Motors. In the post, Ammann makes the argument that the human-driven, gasoline-powered, single-occupant car causes pollution, urban congestion, and kills people due to fallible drivers. In addition, he argues that
this outmoded form of transportation is also just too expensive. He suggests that the alternative to today’s cars should be ride-sharing in autonomous electric vehicles, such as the ones Cruise is developing. Certainly, when it comes to all-electric vehicles,
Tesla has a first-mover advantage. The same can be said for self-driving technology, though the Tesla autopilot still has some bugs to work out. Cruise, like Tesla, is fully electric, but its vehicles are also truly autonomous. In fact, a Cruise vehicle has
neither a steering wheel, nor gas nor brake pedals, and that’s why it’s taking the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) some time to permit their use on public roads. At one point, Cruise had intimated that it would begin commercial production
in 2019, but that goal did not come to fruition. They have, however, increased the number of engineers working on the product, and continue rigorous testing, with safety being the primary goal.” [Forbes,
1/9/20
(=)]
'2020
Will Be Defined By Electric Car Acceptance': Hyundai's SS Kim. According
to Forbes, “Difficult times come with subtle opportunities, and all it depends on is how well we apply the learnings from these difficult times to convert them into opportunities. The year 2019 was a challenging one, but we also saw the best of mobility solutions.
Whether it were connected cars or electric SUVs, 2019 saw a perceptible change in how the automotive industry was going to shape up in the coming years. The sector has always been at the forefront of research and development (R&D) and is probably living up
to expectations, especially in the last decade. Discerning millennials want more in terms of technology and value for money. Similarly, they are also aware of the surroundings and environment overall. And the automobile industry is duty-bound to appreciate
what they want. In the days to come, green and smart mobility is going to define the whole sector as millennials believe in social brands that offer real value to society and people. As far as the Indian automobile sector is concerned, it cannot be isolated
from the world. Or for that matter, it cannot be isolated from the overall economy either. The cyclically muted demand in 2019 has been one of the challenges the automobile sector too faced, like the other sectors did. However, everyone is now cautiously optimistic
for the new year as the last quarter has started to provide better signals. While there are challenges, the Indian market gives leading companies a lot of opportunities too to innovate and implement new ideas to prepare for the future. As one of the most dynamic
and fast-growing markets, ‘shared’, ‘connected’ and ‘zero-emission mobility’ are the future of the Indian automobile industry.” [Forbes,
1/10/20
(=)]
Mack
Trucks Shows Off Electric Garbage Truck, Due To Hit New York City Streets Later This Year.
According
to the Morning Call, “Born and raised in Queens, Rocky DiRico is a self-described old-timer, someone with a thick growl of a New York accent who started turning wrenches as a truck mechanic with the New York City Department of Sanitation in 1978. He became
a procurement supervisor shortly after, rising through the ranks to deputy commissioner in 2001, a post he still holds today. DiRico found himself 90 miles west on Thursday, laying his eyes on what he considers ‘the most exciting’ product development he’s
seen during his career with the department. Then he got to drive it, taking the first lap in a fully electric version of Mack’s LR refuse model at the test track at the Mack Customer Center in Allentown. While the truck was first unveiled last May, Thursday
was the first public demonstration of the electric vehicle, which is quiet like a Tesla but still features two motors that deliver a combined 496 horsepower — all while spitting out zero emissions. ‘It’s unbelievable,’ DiRico said as he exited the vehicle,
repeating the word, ‘unbelievable’ one more time. ‘It’s so quiet.’
While DiRico said the electric truck should make its way to the city by Monday, the long-anticipated vehicle will begin testing in the second quarter. There, DiRico said, his workers plan on ‘beating the hell’ out of it, a tough proving ground in a department
that — each day — collects 10,500 tons of residential and institutional garbage along with 1,700 tons of recyclables. The truck also will help the department, which has a fleet of 6,000 trucks, many of them Macks, as it aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions
by 80% by 2035.” [Morning Call, 1/9/20
(=)]
GM
& LG Chem’s 30+ GWh Ohio Battery Gigafactory Highlights Rapid EV Industry Progress.
According
to Clean Technica, “‘Gigafactory’ isn’t yet in a Merriam-Webster dictionary, as far as I’ve seen, but it’s a fun term that Tesla CEO Elon Musk coined years ago for a large battery factory producing many gigawatt-hours worth of batteries a year. The original
plan for Tesla’s first gigafactory, located in Nevada, was 35 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of annual production capacity, which was seen as a wild goal at the time — and many critics thought it would never come about. The market has changed much since then, and just
one month ago GM and LG Chem announced a joint venture to build a 30+ GWh battery factory in Ohio, and drive down battery costs in the process. From the press release, it’s noted that the partnership aims to ‘drive cost per kilowatt hours to industry-leading
levels.’ The two companies will equally own the joint venture, 50–50. Together, they’re putting in $2.3 billion to develop the gigafactory. (By the way, they don’t use the term gigafactory, just calling it a manufacturing facility or complex.) The batteries
will be used in GM electric vehicles, demonstrating that GM has more significant plans for vehicle electrification output than is probably presumed based on what’s on the market right now and the models expected to come to market in the next few years. Though,
GM has indicated an intention to electrify more rapidly from the top down, starting with its Cadillac brand, which could be 100% electric by 2030. The images that came along with this press release implicitly reference the Cadillac plans.” [Clean Technica,
1/9/20
(=)]
Teslas
Still Go Much Farther On A Single Charge Than Their Competitors. But The Strategy Carries Risks.
According
to the Washington Post, “Tesla’s long-range Model S promises to drive roughly 370 miles without stopping for a charge — about the distance from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Its closest electric car competitors on range, from companies such as Chevrolet, Jaguar
and Nissan, can only make it about 240 miles — or a little farther than a drive from Washington, D.C., to New York City, though some individual models top out around 260. Most others are behind, barely topping 200 miles. Tesla is leading the electric vehicle
race because it has more high-powered battery tech — and it takes more risks. For more than a decade, Tesla has been designing battery-powered vehicles from the ground up and using software to make the batteries more efficient. It has scrapped many weighty,
traditional luxury features in favor of aerodynamics, taken measures such as ditching multi-gear transmissions in favor of dual motors programmed to send varying power ratios to the front and rear wheels. But car industry experts also say the company has taken
more risks than traditional automakers, making its batteries ever-denser and out of different materials than competitors. Some point to a handful of spontaneous battery fires under investigation by federal regulators as potential fallout. And it’s too soon
to know — as with any new vehicle — what kind of durability the vehicles may offer in the long run. Even the oldest Tesla sedans have been on the road for less than eight years.” [Washington Post,
1/10/20
(=)]
Tesla
Blamed For Giant Fire Burning Down Hundreds Of Cars When Old Diesel Car Actually Started It.
According
to Electrek, “Electric cars, and especially Tesla, were blamed for a giant fire in a parking-garage in Norway that burned hundreds of cars when the investigation showed that an old diesel car actually started it. On Tuesday, an electric car was reported to
be on fire in a large parking-garage at Norway’s Stavanger airport. The fire quickly spread and it took about 8 hours to get it under control. No injury was reported, but it ended up burning down hundreds of vehicles in the parking garage. Norway has more
electric cars per capita than any other country and Tesla dominates the EV market. When it was reported that an electric car started the fire, Tesla was quickly blamed and the TSLA short community propagated the speculation. At the time, the police were still
investigating and talking to witnesses. Elisabeth Vorland, section manager intelligence and investigation at Sandnes police station, told Norway’s TU: ‘We have also collected some videos, and we will continue this work as well. The conditions surrounding the
car fire are fairly clear, but now we have to find out why the fire started.’ After a few more hours of investigation, they were actually able to trace back the start of the fire to an older diesel car. They didn’t disclose the make. While the origin of the
fire was a fossil fuel-powered car, several electric cars reportedly caught on fire and the fire services expect that it will take ‘several days’ to make sure the fires are fully extinguished.
It’s actually the second time in just a few months that Tesla was wrongly blamed for a fire.” [Electrek,
1/9/20
(=)]
Electric
Vehicles
Electric
School Buses Are Batteries For The Grid. According
to Axios, “Utility companies are helping cash-strapped school districts replace diesel buses with electric ones that have a secondary purpose: helping to manage electricity demand. Why it matters: Electric buses are cleaner, but cost about three times more.
Using them for energy storage can help close that cost gap and smooth out energy demand on the electric grid. What’s happening: Less than 1% of America’s 480,000 school buses are electric today, but that’s beginning to change. Communities in California, Massachusetts
and a few other states are testing electric school buses and charging infrastructure (in some cases, tapping funds disbursed from Volkswagen’s diesel emissions settlement with the U.S. government). Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology for school buses is still
fairly new. Michigan-based DTE Energy, for example, has a pilot with six buses in two school districts. It is testing charging infrastructure as well as V2G. The most ambitious V2G effort comes from Dominion Energy, which is planning to deploy 1,050 electric
school buses in Virginia over the next five years. Dominion just ordered its first 50 electric buses from Thomas Built Buses, a division of Daimler Trucks North America. The batteries and related EV technology are supplied by Proterra, a leading supplier of
electric transit buses. The powertrain includes 220 kWh of total energy capacity and provides a 134-mile driving range — more than enough to deliver kids to and from school each day.” [Axios,
1/10/20
(=)]
Sunny
California Imagines Its Electric Cars As Mobile Power Grid. According
to Bloomberg Environment, “Imagine using an electric vehicle to get around town, but also to store energy during surplus times and give it back to the grid when needed. Spurred by charging infrastructure, manufacturers of electric vehicles, and a goal of 5
million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030, California is eyeing additional uses for this type of clean energy. ‘The future of the vehicle isn’t just to move people from Point A to B, but it’s actually going to be a resource,’ said Rey Gonzalez, a
senior mechanical engineer at California Energy Commission. ‘It’s going to integrate itself at home as well as the workplace.’ The state energy commission has funded $30 million in projects since 2015 looking at vehicle-to-grid integration, including bidirectional
batteries. A 2019-2020 clean transportation investment plan allocates another $30 million for zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure, including grid integration efforts. Wireless charging and robotic charging, where a human need not be present, are among
the technologies the state said it wanted to support in the coming year, according to an updated plan released Dec. 16. In places like California, where utilities are cutting power to avoid sparking wildfires and nearly half of the nation’s zero-emission cars
are located, energy on wheels could also help during blackouts. ‘The mobile battery really wants to mimic a static, stationary battery,’ said Gonzalez, who is the commission’s lead for transportation research. ‘That’s where we can take the value and look at
it from a grid perspective.’” [Bloomberg Environment, 1/9/20
(=)]
Amply
Wants To Make EV Fleet Charging Super Simple. According
to Greentech Media, “Converting a fleet from fossil-fueled to electric is a lot more complicated than simply buying new vehicles. The electric cars, trucks and buses need carefully scheduled charging to ensure they have sufficient fuel for their duties. And
the charging itself must juggle demand charges and time-based rates, which vary from one utility territory to the next. Running afoul of electric rates produces embarrassing outcomes that undermine the arguments for vehicle electrification. An electric bus
fleet in Denver, for instance, ended up costing the transit agency 60 percent more per mile to operate than diesel buses, due to hefty demand charges, The Denver Post reported last year. Those charges piled up even though the agency charged overnight and staggered
when buses plugged in. New startup Amply Power wants to resolve these complexities so fleet operators don’t have to. The company manages fleet charging on behalf of the customer, delivering miles of charge at a fixed price for a multi-year contract. Behind
the scenes, Amply wrangles the necessary infrastructure upgrades and optimizes charging operations around driver needs and utility rates. The company is still early-stage, having officially launched in April. But it has an experienced founder and CEO: Vic
Shao, who launched commercial energy storage company Green Charge Networks and sold it to Engie in 2016. Shao quickly raised $3.8 million from Obvious Ventures, Congruent Ventures, Kitty Hawk Ventures and PeopleFund, and the company joined the L.A. Cleantech
Incubator.” [Greentech Media, 1/9/20
(=)]
The
First Battery Breakthrough Story Of 2020 Comes From Nikola Motors. There Will Be Many More.
According
to Clean Technica, “Trevor Milton, CEO of Nikola Motors, is the first person in 2020 to claim a fantastic, not gonna believe it, absolutely game-changing lithium-ion battery breakthrough that will double the range of EVs, lower costs, and cure the heartbreak
of psoriasis. According to NBC News, Milton announced this week ‘the Holy Grail of batteries. We are not talking about small improvements; we are talking about doubling the range of BEVs and hydrogen-electric vehicles around the world.’ Wanna know more? Fuhgedabowdit.
Milton declined to offer any specifics, details, or other information except to say his company has acquired the start-up that made the discovery and will have more to say once the acquisition is completed sometime this year. According to NBC, he did offer
these tantalizing tidbits, however. The breakthrough supposedly relies on modifications to current lithium-ion batteries rather than replacing them entirely. Those modifications involve removing the binder material and electric current collectors used in today’s
cells, resulting in smaller, lighter batteries with faster charging capability. The new and improved batteries are said to be able to handle 2000 charge/discharge cycles — about double the standard for today’s batteries. But don’t put the cart before the horse
here. ABI Research, a technology consulting firm, tells NBC it could take several years for such new technology to become commercially viable. Henrik Fisker has been making noises about a similar ‘Holy Grail’ battery breakthrough for years now, but no actual
batteries have appeared. Claims are easy.” [Clean Technica, 1/9/20
(=)]
Wireless
Charging For Electric Vehicles; Worldwide Market Outlook 2020-2027. According
to Yahoo Finance, “The Global Wireless Charging for Electric Vehicle Market is Projected to Grow at a CAGR of 46.8%, from USD 16 Million in 2020 to USD 234 Million by 2027. Increasing focus on R&D activities, rapid development of EV technology, and the ease
of charging vehicles are expected to fuel the demand in wireless charging for electric vehicle market. The rising demand for BEVs and PHEVs is expected to fuel the overall growth of the wireless charging for electric vehicle market. Increasing R&D investments
by manufacturers of wireless charging systems and the growing number of partnerships and joint ventures between major OEMs and domestic players have created growth opportunities in the wireless charging for electric vehicle market. However, the high cost of
upgrading to wireless charging technology may restrain the growth of the market. The transmission range of a wireless charger through electromagnetic induction and/or magnetic resonance is limited to a certain distance. This limitation of range poses a serious
challenge for manufacturers, especially in the case of LCVs and SUVs with high ground clearance. The >50 kW segment of the wireless charging for electric vehicle market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Various incentives
are provided for the development of commercial electric vehicles. Moreover, the >50 kW segment focuses on dynamic charging, which is a new and upcoming technology and has not yet commercialized. Thus, the development of dynamic charging is likely to fuel the
>50 kW segment in the wireless charging for electric vehicle market.” [Yahoo Finance,
1/10/20
(=)]
Research
and Analysis
Delivery
Vehicles Choke Cities With Pollution — Report. According
to E&E News, “For some, life has become more convenient as companies like Amazon.com Inc. offer free next-day shipping and services such as Uber Eats promote rapid food delivery. But with this convenience comes a cost. Cities around the world are suffering
from more congestion and pollution as a growing number of delivery vehicles choke their streets. Until now, these impacts have been tough to quantify. But a new report attempts to provide one of the first comprehensive analyses of the congestion and carbon
emissions stemming from delivery services worldwide. The report from the World Economic Forum, released today, looks at the rise of e-commerce in cities such as Los Angeles, London and Singapore. It contains some eye-popping statistics. For instance, without
intervention, the number of delivery vehicles in the largest 100 cities globally will increase by 36% over the next decade. The potential consequences are significant. Under this ‘business as usual’ scenario, planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from delivery
traffic would increase by 32%, or about 6 million tons. In addition, congestion would increase by 21%. That translates to an additional 11 minutes of commute time for each passenger every day. To stave off these consequences, the report provides 24 recommendations
for policymakers and the private sector, including: Mandating that delivery vehicles are electric. Replacing delivery vehicles with drones.” [E&E News,
1/10/20
(=)]
States
Want
Clean Air? Utah’s Governor Urges Consumers To Buy Only Less-Polluting Tier 3 Gas.
According
to the Salt Lake Tribune, “Gov. Gary Herbert’s new budget not only proposes spending $100 million to improve air quality, it also trumpets a call for a consumer gasoline revolt. It contains what are essentially repeated ads for Speedway and Chevron because
they — and other brands not specifically mentioned in budget documents — now offer lower-pollution Tier 3 gas. Herbert urges consumers to buy it to prod other refineries to also produce the cleaner fuel. ‘Utahns can now make a choice to improve air quality
simply by choosing where they purchase fuel,’ the budget says, noting that three of Utah’s five refineries now produce it or soon will (plus two in neighboring Wyoming that also pipe in significant supplies to Utah). ‘As more consumers demand lower emission
fuels through their fuel choices, the Utah market should respond to consumer demand,’ the budget adds. It repeats the message in several spots. Tier 3 fuel can reduce pollution by 80% in new Tier 3 cars, compared to older-formula gas in older cars. Herbert
often says that is like taking four of every five cars off the road, and he pushed in 2017 for tax breaks for refineries that speed conversion to Tier 3. The fuel also reduces pollution when used in older cars. Refineries that now or soon will produce Tier
3 fuel — Marathon, Chevron and Silver Eagle in Utah, and Sinclair in Wyoming — are applauding the governor’s push.” [Salt Lake Tribune,
1/10/20
(=)]
Opinion
Pieces
Editorial: Wave Of The Future Now: Pass Electric Vehicles Bill.
According to the North Jersey Editorial Board, “The 21st-century economy, along with public energy and our transportation infrastructure, will rely less and less on fossil fuels.
Which is why it is vital, in densely populated, automobile-traffic-heavy New Jersey, that we begin the transition to cleaner, more sustainable fuels with all deliberate speed. An electric cars incentives bill that has found traction in Trenton and could be
passed and signed into law in coming days would set that process in motion and help New Jersey begin to move dramatically to reduce air pollution, including greenhouse gases, and combat climate change. As environmental writer Scott Fallon of NorthJersey.com
and the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey reports, the ‘electric vehicles’ measure, in the works for some time, would expand the state’s network of charging stations and give motorists a substantial rebate on a purchase or lease. The upshot for New Jersey would
be more electric vehicles on our roadways, and more clean air for our lungs. ‘If we’re going to take air pollution and climate change seriously, this is something that has to be done,’ said Doug O’Malley, director of the advocacy group Environment New Jersey.
The centerpiece of the legislation is a rebate of up to $5,000 intended to lower the sticker prices of electric vehicles so they are more competitive with gasoline-powered cars. New Jersey, it should be noted, already waives the 7% sales tax on electric vehicle
purchases, and the federal government offers a $2,500 to $7,500 income tax credit based on a car’s battery capacity.” [North Jersey,
1/10/20 (=)]
Chad Ellwood
Climate Action Campaign
202.448.2877 ext. 119