New Jersey Commits to a Clean Car Future
Highland Park, NJ – Earlier this week, Governor Phil Murphy and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced a monumental step towards increasing the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on New Jersey’s roads: on December 18th, NJ DEP will officially file California’s Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) rules for adoption. ACC II’s positive impacts on our health and our economy cannot be overstated.
ACC II mandates manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of new zero-emission cars and light-duty trucks, requiring 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. The rule also holds traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to more stringent exhaust emission standards. The adoption of this rule is one more tool in the State’s toolbox to significantly reduce emissions from the transportation sector, the state’s largest source of greenhouse gas and health-impacting emissions. The rules provide incentives for deploying EVs in environmental justice communities, which are disproportionately affected by vehicle pollution. While the rule encourages the transition to EVs, it does not outright ban ICE vehicles, nor does it impose obligations on consumers or car dealers, an important feature of the rule that has been widely misunderstood.
New Jersey joins other leading states, including Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington in adopting these rules. The timely adoption ensures that New Jersey will not miss the 2027 model year deadline and the timeline of the regulations allows the automotive industry adequate time to transition. By offering certainty to vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, utilities, and charging infrastructure companies, ACC II fosters the long-term investments necessary for increased market development and widespread adoption of EVs.
“Getting to this point after the Governor’s announcement in February took tremendous dedication and work by folks at NJ DEP, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Office of Administrative Law,” says Pam Frank, CEO of ChargEVC-NJ. She continues, “They were all supported by the Governor’s office to make it to the deadline. The times we live in call for accelerated efforts. We are so proud that New Jersey takes it rightful place among leading states using all the tools at their disposal – both carrots and sticks – to expedite this crucial transition.”
Importantly, the adoption of this rule simultaneously encourages the further build-out of charging infrastructure and a cleaner, more robust electric grid across New Jersey.
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ChargEVC-NJ is a not-for-profit coalition of diverse stakeholders that includes retail automotive dealers, utilities, consumer and equity advocates, environmental and labor organizations and technology companies. See www.chargevc.org for more information.