Northeast & Mid-Atlantic Could Get More Electric Cars With These Policies

Originally published on EV Obsession.

A new joint report from the Conservation Law Foundation, the Sierra Club, and Acadia Center — titled Charging Up — has detailed a policy pathway for governments in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions to spur faster adoption of electric vehicles there, and thereby cut greenhouse gas emissions to some notable degree.

The new report also expounds on the significant gap that currently exists between official state goals and the actual current rate (and trajectory) of electric vehicle (EV) adoption.

As far as the policy pathway, the various actions that would (or will) need to be taken by the various utility companies, auto manufacturers, and state governments are all detailed.

The report, which will be shared with lawmakers and industry leaders, analyzes the progress of such policies on a state-by-state basis. The report shows Massachusetts and Maryland leading the way in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region, but notes that all states need to significantly ramp up action.

“Making electric vehicles more affordable and accessible is a win-win-win,” stated Jenny Rushlow, staff attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation, and co-author of the new report. “It helps combat climate change by lowering our carbon footprint, it protects communities from the harmful health impacts of increasing air pollution, and it boosts our economy by promoting energy independence and alternatives to costly gasoline and oil. For our region to lead the nation in these efforts, stakeholders need to work together to adopt the right policies, and this report provides the blueprint to get it done.”

Here’s more via an email sent to EV Obsession recently:

Among the nine vital steps for success put forth in the report are auto dealership and consumer incentive programs to promote electric vehicles, policies to encourage widespread availability of consumer-friendly charging stations, public education initiatives to raise awareness about the benefits of electric vehicles, and the use of such vehicles in municipal and statewide fleets enabling public actors to lead by example. The report also includes an in-depth analysis of the current policies in place in eleven states and considers the respective strength of each state’s existing programs.

“Plug-in electric vehicles are a clean, affordable choice over the gasoline-fueled vehicles that are making our air dirty and our families and our climate sick,” stated Gina Coplon-Newfield, Director of Sierra Club’s Electric Vehicle Program, and co-author of the report. “We need the utility industry, auto industry, and government in each and every state to dramatically increase policies that encourage electric vehicle use, and this report shows how we can do just that.”

“Electric vehicles are a key technology to achieve our long-term climate goals in a consumer-friendly way. EVs currently provide a 60% GHG reduction in the region over a comparable gas car and, as we continue to clean our electricity generation, this benefit will only increase,” stated Mark LeBel, Staff Attorney at Acadia Center, and co-author of the report. “Batteries in EVs can also be a key feature in a flexible, modern electricity grid, and provide significant consumer benefits by helping avoid expensive investments in power lines and power plants.”