California will now make sure that all new cars sold there would be electric or plug-in hybrids by 2035. New York seems to follow suit. Reuters reports that New York Governor Kathy Hochul talked about this on Thursday.
California’s own predictions state that 35 percent of new cars will need to be zero-emissions by 2026. This has created pressure on car companies to manufacture enough electrified vehicles for every customer in California, New York, and wherever else the same goal is made.
The Hill states that Hochul said, “We had to wait for California to take a step because there are some federal requirements that California had to go first—that’s the only time we’re letting them go first.” The federal requirement they are talking about is the Clean Air Act, which allows California to set its own emissions standards.
“With sustained state and federal investments, our actions are incentivizing New Yorkers, local governments, and businesses to make the transition to electric vehicles,” Hochul said.
It is expected that other cities will also be joining in, including Washington.
Public charging infrastructure is a massive deal for states even for California and New York. Hochul noted on Thursday that the New York Power Authority had just installed its 100th high-speed charger as part of its EVolve NY charging network. However, it will need to increase that number by a huge amount to support all the electrified cars on the road.