New Jersey will join a few other states in prohibiting the sale of new fossil-fuel-powered vehicles over the next 12 years, despite critics claiming that the transition to electric vehicles will be prohibitively expensive for consumers.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced the adoption of new regulations that will require automakers to increase sales of electric vehicles in New Jersey, eventually leading to a ban on the sale of new fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2035.
Murphy said the lower emissions “will improve air quality and mitigate climate impacts for generations to come, all while increasing access to cleaner car choices.”
According to the Murphy administration, the new rules will apply to cars, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, including tractor-trailers, garbage trucks, and other larger vehicles, requiring at least 5% of vehicles sold by 2027 to be electric and 60% by 2035.
Similar e-vehicle mandates are being finalized in Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont
By doing so, New Jersey joins Rhode Island, Maryland, Connecticut, and New Mexico in announcing plans to implement California’s strict emission standards. Similar e-vehicle mandates are being finalized in Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont.
“This is a big moment for cleaner cars in New Jersey,” said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. “Electric vehicles are reaching an inflection point, and as we are likely experiencing the hottest year on record yet, this is the time to reduce climate pollution.”
However, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, which opposed the state’s adoption of the rule, claimed that it does not address the lack of demand for electric vehicles among consumers who cannot afford the cost of switching from fossil-fuel-powered cars and trucks.
Ray Cantor, the group’s deputy chief government affairs officer, said a “heavy-handed mandate” won’t get more electric vehicles on the roads — “especially with unsold EVs piling up on lots around the country.”
Republicans in New Jersey have criticized the state’s decision to adopt California-style standards
“The failure of this policy can be seen nationally as manufacturers cut back on their previous commitments to EVs and have called for a pause in any mandates,” Cantor said in a statement.
Republicans in New Jersey have also criticized the state’s decision to adopt California-style standards, claiming that it will force people to buy expensive electric vehicles and may have an impact on regional power supplies.
Republican Sen. Michael Testa stated that New Jersey lacks the infrastructure to support a rapid transition to electric vehicles and that the mandate will “disproportionately harm rural New Jerseyans.”
“Forcing this foolish transition to all-electric vehicles could not only lead to job losses and economic instability, but it also jeopardizes the job security of mechanics and auto shops, local gas stations, and the used car market,” he said. “Residents living in the rural areas of New Jersey are most at risk of being hurt by this disastrous mandate.”