New Jersey will prohibit the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 as part of an effort to improve air quality and reduce planet-warming pollutants, officials announced Tuesday.
A rule that will take effect Jan. 1 commits the state to an eventual move toward zero-emission vehicles, the state Department of Environmental Protection said in a news release.
It is one of a growing number of states to do so, including California, Vermont, New York, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, Virginia, Rhode Island, Maryland and Connecticut, according to Coltura, a Seattle-based nonprofit advocating for an end to gasoline vehicle use.
New Jersey will start limiting the amount of new gasoline-powered cars that can be sold in the state starting in 2027, eventually reaching zero in 2035.
yeah set it for way off in the future so it has plenty of time to be struck down before it affects those profits
I get what you’re saying and that’s obviously a concern, but at the same time… doesn’t it have to be reasonably far in the future? We don’t have either the infrastructure or even enough supply of EVs to change this too quickly.
That said, I wish they’d use a gradual approach. Start ramping up taxes on gasoline with the proceeds entirely going to EV infrastructure (and similar for purchasing new gasoline vehicles and licensing existing vehicles). Start small and increase as we get closer to the cutoff date. Start limiting gas station development and create zoning regulations for EV infrastructure (especially charging for apartments, which is a huge gap). Make all the laws ramp up gradually so that it’s always small, incremental changes that are never too difficult to do at a time, but will get us in a better place in 10-15 years.
The used car market will still go strong for years to come. Few people will be forced to buy an EV until probably at least 2040-2050.
Get your new gas car in 2034, drive it for ten years, probably be able to pick up a lower mileage used one in 2045 drive it for another 5 years. Buy an EV in 2050 when all the kinks and infrastructure has been ironed out.
This is a gradual approach. The problem is, even the first step of that approach is several years away. The infrastructure needs to start being built now, with priority. And while more would be great, its not like we dont already have electrical infrastructure, every home with electricity is already capable of charging an EV.
We are so shamefully behind on taking action that we are still increasing oil production!
If you think about the life cycle of cars though, even without everyone just going to buy their car in NY there will be plenty of 16 year old gas powered cars still driving around NJ in 2050. Hopefully we get a cash-for-clunkers type deal before then.
Maybe if we keep kicking the can down the road for another decade climate change will solve itself?
I’m surprised that this is something voters support. I see plenty of people who like electric cars on the internet, but I assumed that that was because the web pages I go to attract unusual people. I would have guessed that the majority of Americans wouldn’t trust new electric technology and that they would get pretty angry if they wanted a new car but they weren’t permitted to buy a gas-powered one.
Is this an issue of environmentalists being a vocal minority while most voters simply don’t care what politicians promise to do twelve years from now?
I would have guessed that the majority of Americans wouldn’t trust new electric technology and that they would get pretty angry if they wanted a new car but they weren’t permitted to buy a gas-powered one.
You would be correct with your guess. People, as a whole, do not like bans.
The way to win people over is to make EVs the better product. Cars didn’t beat out the horse and buggy because cars were mandated, they won because they were a better product. You can still drive a horse and buggy on the streets today, just ask the people in Pennsylvania, USA.
There’s a lot of disinformation on EV’s. I drove an ICE until 2018 when I felt EV technology, longevity, and charging infrastructure was ready, I got a model 3. This was still on the early adoption side and my circle of people expected the car to self combust. Even to this day people I am still educating people in my circle. You’d think 4 years of driving and 50k miles might change opinions, but I still get asked how much does the battery cost to replace. Which is the equivalent of an engine seizing in an ICE. It’s not going to happen except in rare instances. Realistically the battery will last the life of the car for me. Maybe it will finally click for people when I’ve been driving it for 10, 15 years. I think for others gas prices will need to squeeze their wallet before reality sets in. I support this bill, even if its grasping at straws, it’s a step in the right direction. But a lot of consumer education needs to happen between now and then.
TLDR: The majority of Americans are still skeptical about EV reliability and believe they cost more than equivalent hybrids, etc
Electric cars will be well and truly dominant by 2035, and likely well before then. Why would people want to buy crappy outdated tech by that point?
It would be like buying a horse and cart after cars have taken over during the 20th century.
The same goes for gas stoves and the like. They are trash compared to induction cooktops, and people will come to understand that once they use it.
I’ve used an induction cooktop, it had the most ridiculous user interface imaginable, using capacitive buttons on the cooktop. Gas is much more intuitive to use.
Are they going to help people get the needed electrical upgrades to have EV chargers? Will they mandate landlords to provide chargers?