Last week, California Governor Jerry Brown announced one of the most ambitious electric vehicle (EV) incentive plans in the country. Colorado’s Governor John Hickenlooper also announced plans to improve infrastructure for battery-powered cars last week. Although EVs are still less than 1 percent of the total US passenger fleet, the two announcements show that state leaders are thinking about a second phase of EV rollout, as federal incentives are projected to run out for some automakers but climate change concerns grow increasingly urgent.
West coast
In California last week, Brown signed an Executive Order directing the state to adopt policies that could result in 5 million EVs on the road by 2030. That goal replaces an October 2016 goal put forward by Brown targeting 1.5 million EVs on California’s roads by 2025.
California has aggressive emissions goals and has been one of the major champions of renewable energy buildout. But the state’s transportation profile is still excessively reliant on gas and diesel. According to the Governor’s Office, transportation makes up 50 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.