Eight states spearheaded by California and New York have pledged to help increase the number of green cars on the road by exerting all efforts to increase the number of charging stations and necessary infrastructures needed by electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and other clean-fueled vehicles. The other members of the coalition include Vermont, Rhode Island, Oregon, Massachusetts, Maryland and Connecticut.
The states that formed the coalition are basically the same states that implemented tighter emission limits during the 1990s and represent about 23 percent of the automotive market in the United States. The group aims to have 3.3 million green vehicles on their roads by 2025, a projection that will be 15 times the forecasted number of green vehicles in the U.S. come 2015.
The eight states signed a covenant on Thursday in Sacramento, to coordinate their efforts in terms of zoning laws, incentives, and other efforts to push zero-emission vehicles to consumers. The states agreed to implement regulations to have simple rules so there will be no impediments in building charging stations, encourage construction of the charging stations where more green car owners can access them, and develop stations that take the same payment options.
"This is not just an agreement, but a serious and profoundly important commitment.From coast to coast, we're charging ahead to get millions of the world's cleanest vehicles on our roads," California Governor Edmund Brown Jr. said in a statement.
According to a New York Times report, the coalition did not disclose details of any appropriated budget but hinted of steps that will not require spending of the governments such as allowing EV owners to cruise on lanes dedicated for car poolers or allowing properties to put up charging stations.
The Obama administration is aiming to have a million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2015 but based on industry data, the more realistic figure is 200,000 green vehicles by 2015 out of the 250 million vehicles on U.S. roads. Range anxiety is among the biggest worry of consumers when it comes to electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and a better infrastructure of charging stations will address that.
We think that is going to be necessary for some of the (driving) range anxiety and other acceptance barriers that need to be broken down. The cars are coming - they're here already - but if you don't have a place to charge them, there's not going to be the level of consumer acceptance," said California New Car Dealers Association president Brian Maas in an interview.
At the moment there are 16 zero-emission vehicles to choose from, manufactured by eight auto brands.
