Following California, New York Mandates Zero-Emission Vehicles by 2035

All new cars sold in New York State must be zero emissions by 2035, Governor Kathy Hochul announced today.

Hochul directed the State Department of Environmental Conservation to take action that will require all new passenger cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs sold in the region to be zero emissions over the next 13 years, which means battery electric, fuel-cell, or plug-in hybrid vehicles.

It’s a phased plan that dictates an increasing percentage over the coming years, starting with 35% of sales by 2026, then 68% by 2030, and 100% by 2035.

“This is a crucial regulatory step to achieving significant greenhouse gas emission reductions from the transportation sector,” Hochul's office said in a statement. Transportation is the largest source of emissions nationwide, accounting for 27% of the total.

Hochul says the state will continue its existing rebate program, which provides $2,000 per vehicle to help customers offset the cost of an electric vehicle. 

For charging, New York received $175 million from the federal government’s pool of $5 billion to build a nationwide charging network over the next five years. President Biden announced earlier this week that all states are now approved to begin using the funds to build and install chargers.

“You have no more excuses [to say], ‘Well, there’s not enough charging stations,'" says Hochul. “That era is over, and we’re ready to launch into the future.”

EV sales in NY are up 30% this year over 2021, Hochul said, even with a chip shortage that restricted the total number of vehicles the auto industry could produce. To drive home her message, Hochul pulled up to the press conference in White Plains in a Chevrolet Bolt EV, which she plugged in before stepping up to the podium.

Hochul's announcement also includes school buses; new ones must be emissions-free by 2027. The entire fleet will be zero-emission by 2035, meaning there should be no gas-powered buses on the road by that time (whereas some gas-powered passenger cars will likely linger for a while.) "Welcome to the future,” Hochul concluded.

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The announcement comes a month after California also mandated that all new vehicle sales be zero-emissions by 2035. As The Hill notes, states can't actually take any action on emissions standards until California does. The Clean Air Act of 1970 banned states from setting their own emissions standards, but made an exception for California because it was battling smog conditions at the time. California can ask the Environmental Protection Agency for a waiver and, if approved, other states can do the same.

Once California "made that decision [about zero-emissions], we were able to step up immediately and say, 'Now there's nothing holding us back,'" Hochul said today. 

As such, New York’s plan is nearly identical to California’s, only differing in the milestones along the way. Both states will require 35% zero-emissions vehicles by 2026. But then New York mandates 68% by 2030 whereas California will require 51% by 2028.

More states are expected to reveal similar announcements in the months to come.