[title]
It's official: Governor Kathy Hochul just announced that all passenger cars, pickup trucks and SUVs sold in New York State will have to be zero-emission vehicles starting 2035. That's a big deal, especially considering that California is the only other state that has set an end date for sales of gas-powered cars until now.
To reach that target, local officials expect 35% of models to be gas-free by 2026. That figure will climb to 68% by 2030. School buses are also part of the conversation: all new vehicles purchased will have to be zero-emission by 2025 and the entire fleet is expected to go electric by 2035.
"New York is a national climate leader and an economic powerhouse, and we're using our strength to help spur innovation and implementation of zero-emission vehicles on a grand scale," the governor said in an official statement earlier today. "With sustained state and federal investments, our actions are incentivizing New Yorkers, local governments, and businesses to make the transition to electric vehicles. We're driving New York's transition to clean transportation forward, and today's announcement will benefit our climate and the health of our communities for generations to come."
In order to successfully achieve the newly announced goals, the politician revealed that the state is working on installing a number of fast chargers throughout New York—including ten at Port Authority and LaGuardia Airport. These are expected to "fill up" an electric vehicle in as little as 20 minutes. The federal government will aid in the effort by offering New York State $175 million in funding over five years to expand the charging network.
Also on deck: a $10 million donation to the Drive Clean rebate program, which should entice New Yorkers to invest in electric vehicles. As of now, the rebate amounts to about $2,000 per car and reports suggest that 78,000 refunds have already been given out.
Interestingly enough, Hochul had already made public her intentions back in September 2021 but New York State could not start implementing measures until the California ban that was announced a month ago was finalized. In fact, according to Bloomberg, "the 1970s Clean Air Act authorizes California to set its own emissions standards on new vehicles, but other states can only follow California's lead, and only if their proposed standards are identical." The official obviously has a sense of humor.
Clearly, New York is all in when it comes to electric power. In addition to this pretty exciting announcement by Hochul, the city is gearing up for the construction of the all-electric skyscraper set to be erected at 270 Park Avenue some time in the near future. The building will be home to JPMorgan Chase's new global headquarters.