Governor Kathy Hochul announced this week that New York state will expedite regulatory requirements necessary to implement a ban on the sale of new internal combustion vehicles by 2035.
The state first announced that it would mandate the transition to EVs last year but, now, the timeline to get there is being fleshed out. In 2021, the state anticipated mandating that 25 percent of sales of new vehicles would be electric in the state by 2030.
Now, regulations would require 35 percent of sales in model year 2026 to be of zero-emissions vehicles and 68 percent of sales be of zero-emissions vehicles by 2030. As was previously expressed, all new vehicles will have to make zero emissions by 2035.
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“New York is a national climate leader and an economic powerhouse, and we’re using our strength to help spur innovation and implementation of zero-emission vehicles on a grand scale,” wrote Hochul in a statement. “With sustained state and federal investments, our actions are incentivizing New Yorkers, local governments, and businesses to make the transition to electric vehicles.”
The state also announced that new pollutant standards for internal combustion cars, trucks, and SUVs will be required for model year 2026-2034 passenger vehicles. The governor’s office writes that these regulations will “help address disproportionate risks and health and pollution burden” affecting New York’s disadvantaged communities.
“Governor Hochul is demonstrating her sustained commitment to the successful implementation of the Climate Act and ensuring all New Yorkers benefit from the State’s actions to address climate change,” wrote Basil Seggos, the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. “DEC will continue to work under her direction to rapidly issue this regulation and reach another milestone in the transition from fossil fuels so that more people, businesses, and governments will have the ZEV options to meet their needs and help improve the health of their communities.”
New York says that it is investing more than $1 billion on promoting zero-emissions vehicles over the next five years. That includes purchase rebates, charging infrastructure grants, and the state’s “EV Make Ready” initiative, which also seeks to expand charging infrastructure.
