Last October, eight states announced plans to promote the sale of more than 3 million electric cars by 2025, a massive leap from the 200,000 or so currently on U.S. roads.
Now, more details of how that gargantuan task will be accomplished have emerged.
The program--which also encompasses hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles--will involve a mix of charging and refueling station construction, expansion of incentives, and regulatory changes to encourage the sale of more zero-emission vehicles, Automotive News (sub. required) reports.
The states will fund construction of more electric-car charging stations and hydrogen refueling stations, although so far only California has set money aside for the latter.
GM EV1 and Tesla Model S electric cars, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, Oct 2013
The plan also calls for uniform signage to indicate charging and refueling stations, as well as a uniform payment system for public charging stations.
This could make drivers' lives easier by eliminating the need to carry multiple cards and fobs for different charging station networks.
Finally, the states declared their continued commitment to monetary incentives--such as tax credits and purchase rebates--and non-monetary ones like single-occupant carpool-lane access and preferential parking for zero-emission vehicles.
Nearly all of these measures were discussed at preliminary talks late last year, but now it appears the states have committed to them.
The eight-state contingent consists of: California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
They're known as the "Clean Car States," because they all followed California's lead in adopting stricter emissions standards.
Their cumulative goal of 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on their roads by 2025 represents a new effort toward emissions reduction; the eight states currently account for about one-quarter of total U.S. new-car sales.
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