Kathy Hochul has just assumed office recently in August but the new governor of the state of New York has already signed a bill into law. In an announcement made through the New York governor's office pressroom, Governor Hochul has signed a legislation bill into a law that effectively bans the sale of new vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2035.
If that sounds familiar, well, this mirrors an executive order by California Governor Gavin Newsom from September of last year.
According to the announcement, all new passenger cars and trucks sold in New York need to be zero-emission by 2035. In addition, new heavy- and medium-duty trucks to be sold in New York by 2045 are required to be under the "zero-emissions" category.
Going green:
The newly-signed law, which was introduced by New York state senator Pete Harckham, requires new off-road vehicles and equipment sold in New York are targeted to be zero-emissions by 2035, and new medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles by 2045.
Apart from the mentioned, the law requires the development of a zero-emissions vehicle development strategy by 2023. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will lead the charge on this end, expediting the implementation of the State policies and programmes necessary to achieve the law's goals.
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation defines zero-emission vehicles as battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles.
The legislation predates the Climate Week 2021 happening next week, in support of New York's ultimate goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent by 2050, as outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).
To recall, New York's new legislation goes hand-in-hand with President Biden's target, which was for EVs to account for half of new car sales in the US by 2030.