New York moves to ban gas-powered car sales from 2035

Arriving in the Chester-Maple Parking Lot in a white Chevy Bolt, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a ban on the sale of gas-powered vehicles in the state starting in 2035, The Hill reported. The governor also announced financial incentives for those looking to transition to electric vehicles (EVs) in the near future.

According to a 2021 report from the state, transportation in New York accounts for 106.92 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and other gases released into the atmosphere every year. This is the equivalent of 28 percent of the state's emissions, and introducing electric vehicles is expected to help bring this number down by as much as 85 percent by 2050.

The state is not just hoping to make this transition somewhere in the future but has laid down concrete plans to ensure that it is completed by a specific date, which in this instance, is set to be 2035.

Phases of New York's crackdown on gas-powered vehicles

Instead of putting an absolute deadline for a ban on vehicle sales in the future, the governor outlined phases in which this change would be affected and has set a 35 percent target of electric vehicle sales to be achieved by 2026. This would be followed by a 68 percent coverage in the next four years or 2030 and then only zero-emission vehicle sales starting in 2035.

Interestingly, this change also applies to transportation carried out using school buses which are expected to be completely overhauled with EVs by 2035. The governor highlighted that all school buses purchased after 2027 would be zero-emission vehicles to facilitate this change.

The state has also been investing in its fast charging infrastructure to simplify the transition for users. The New York Power Authority recently completed the installation of the 100th EV charger, where any battery-operated vehicle can charge in as little as 20 minutes, The Hill said in its report.

In addition to this, New York State has rolled out a $2,000 rebate over the federal rebate available for the purchase of EVs to encourage people to switch to zero-emission transportation.

Following California's lead

New York's move could be seen as one inspired by a similar resolution made by the state of California in August this year. However, Governor Hochul was quick to point out that she signed off on a gas-powered vehicles ban in 2021 first and only federal requirement that put New York second on the list to effect such a ban, Gizmodo reported.

According to the Clean Air Act of 1970, moves by the states to set up stricter emission rules must first happen in the state of California. This was done to allow California to set up its own emission standards in light of prevalent smog then. The procedure is followed even today, and once California voted to put in its ban, New York could also put into effect its policy, The Hill reported.

Guess New York could do very well for itself if it also beat California's share of renewables powering homes and offices.