Officials from eight states say the United States is on track to have 3.3 millions zero emission vehicles on the road by 2025. That will include 1.5 million in California alone.
“We are glad Americans are embracing the electric car,” said Commissioner David Cash with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Cash was at the Diamond Bar headquarters of the Air Quality Management Board for a meeting Thursday with the multi-state electric vehicle task force. He pointed out the electric car is playing a vital role in his state’s goal of dropping green house gas emissions to 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
Massachusetts gases have dropped to 80 million tons of green house gases from a high of more than 95 million tons. The goal is 70 million tons in 2020, with transportation providing nearly 8 per cent of the reduction.
“And the reduction in green house gases hasn’t come at the expense of our economy,” Cash said. “Our gross state product has grown 68 percent while the green house gases produced by our power sector green have dropped 41 percent.”
He added that jobs in the clean energy sector have grown by more than nearly 10 percent every year since 2010. Employment is expected to reach 100,000 in 2015.
Anne Gobin, chief of the Connecticut Bureau of Air Management, said states in the task force have agreed to a multifaceted ZEV action plan. It includes a wide range of measures ranging from consumer education to financial incentives to buy zero emission vehicles.
Deputy Secretary Kathy Kinsey with the Maryland Department of the Environment explained the highlights in their ZEV initiatives.
“We have increased the sales tax credit from $1,000 to $3,000 for the purchase or lease of PEVs,” Kinsey noted. “And we’ve tied the amount of the credit to the battery capacity.”
Maryland also gives a point of sale rebate of from 20 to 50 percent for the cost of a charging station. That could mean up to $900 for a homeowner.
Maryland motorists also enjoy access to the car pool lanes.
“We’ve also set aside $1 million for a network of fast chargers across the state,” Kinsey said. “We’ll start with a chain of 20 fast chargers and we’re adding charging infrastructure at train and subway stations.”
Oregon and California were praised as leaders in the support of Zero Emission Vehicles. Oregon even has a chief electric vehicle officer, Ashley Horvat.
Horvat said Oregon has built an extensive infrastructure on its West Coast Electric Highway.
“Now, 90 percent of our population is connected to a statewide fast charger network,” Horvat said. “And the Nissan Leaf has led several consecutive months as the volume leader in car sales.”
Oregon offers commercial and residential tax incentives for electric vehicles.
California was praised as a leader of the electric car revolution.
“We’ve seen a 70 percent increase in the number of charging stations for plug-in vehicles in California,” noted Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board.
California wants to install fast chargers at retail centers and along intrastate corridors. Fast chargers recharge electric vehicles in under 30 minutes.
Officials noted that 75 percent of the electric vehicles are located in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. They also have 73 percent of the chargers.
The states are also moving ahead with hydrogen stations for the new fuel cell cars. There are now 10 stations in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Plans are in the works for 51 hydrogen stations by 2015.
Most owners charge their cars at home in off-peak hours.
