• Starting in 2035, the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles will be banned in New York State.
• New York State Governor Kathy Hochul made the announcement on Thursday, September 29.
• Until now, only California had passed such a law.
• Accelerating the deployment of a vast network of charging stations will be necessary for the success of the state's ambitions.
Canada has already passed legislation that will seek to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles as of 2035. In the U.S., a few states have expressed an intention to pass similar legislation, but so far only California has done so.
That state is no longer alone, as Reuters reported at the end of last week that New York Governor Kathy Hochul has confirmed it will pass legislation setting 2035 as the deadline for switching to non-ICE vehicles.
The transition will come in stages. California’s government as set a target for the proportion of electrified vehicle sales to reach 35 percent by 2026 and then 68 percent by 2030, before reaching 100 percent electric by 2035. We'll have to see what plan New York puts forward.
And, the next question must be raised. Given that targets of this kind will certainly cause an increase in demand for EVs, how will manufacturers respond to meet that demand? Current problems with delays regarding deliveries of electrified vehicles have been well-documented over the past year.
In addition to California and New York, the state of Washington has expressed its desire to set similar targets, and remember that there are a dozen or so other state legislatures that normally follow the rules established by California regarding polluting emissions. Forces will at work in the next few months and years to push to make 2035 a uniform target date for eliminating new ICE vehicles.
PHEVs as well
It's worth noting that in the case of California and New York, the legislation will allow sales of zero-emission vehicles starting in 2035, but also of plug-in hybrid models.
The issue of charging infrastructure is tied in with the moves being implemented by New York State and others. Here in Canada progress is evident on this front, particularly in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia, but the pace will have to pock up in the United States, including California and New York State. Already, major investments have been announced for the installation of public charging stations and Governor Hochul indicated that the New York Power Authority has installed its 100th fast-charging station as part of the EVolve NY program.
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