Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

Sales of electric and other zero emission vehicles have been given a real boost in America. Governors of eight states – including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, California, Connecticut and New York – have pledged to improve the charging infrastructure to make ‘refuelling’ an EV as easy as filling the tank of a conventional car.

 

And the result? The states – which together represent a quarter of America’s new car sales – pledge they will have 3.3 million zero emission vehicles on their roads by 2025.

 

As well as increasing quick charge networks to benefit owners of EVs and plug-in hybrids, the Governors have also agreed to establish networks of hydrogen filling stations for next generation fuel-cell EVs.

 

Under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the eight Governors, a taskforce will share ideas to expand the network of charging and fuelling stations to make zero-emission vehicles more attractive to customers.

 

“This agreement is a major step forward to reducing the emissions that are causing our climate to change and unleashing the extreme weather we are experiencing with increased frequency,” said Governor of New York, Andrew M. Cuomo.

 

To hit the 3.3 million target, each state has also adopted rules which demand that an ever-increasing percentage of new cars sold, produce no tailpipe emissions at all. In California, for example, some 15.4 per cent of new cars sold in 2025 will be battery or fuel-cell EVs by which time the state will have 1.5 million zero emission vehicles on its roads.

 

The move has been welcomed by car dealers, under pressure to ensure those targets are met. “The cars are coming – in fact, they’re already here – but if you don’t have a place to charge them, there’s not going to be the level of consumer acceptance,” said Brian Maas, president of the California New Car Dealers Association.