California Gov. Gavin Newsom may soon regret his decision to involve himself in the politics of other states, as turnabout is fair play.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin slammed California leaders for approving the phaseout of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, a burdensome emissions rule that Virginia agreed to follow under the dubious leadership of the previous governor Ralph Northam.
“In an effort to turn Virginia into California, liberal politicians who previously ran our government sold Virginia out by subjecting Virginia drivers to California vehicle laws. Now, under that pact, Virginians will be forced to adopt the California law that prohibits the sale of gas and diesel-fueled vehicles,” he said in a statement. “I am already at work to prevent this ridiculous edict from being forced on Virginians. California’s out-of-touch laws have no place in our Commonwealth.”He might be headed for a fight. Republicans control Virginia’s House of Delegates, but Democrats run the state Senate.House Speaker Todd Gilbert said his chamber will advance legislation during next year’s session to “put Virginians back in charge of Virginia’s auto emission standards and its vehicle marketplace.”“Virginia is not and should not be California,” Mr. Gilbert said.
The timing may be suitable for this battle. A new analysis shows the US needs to build 30 million EV charging ports or 478 per day until 2030 for $35 billion if half of the drivers switch.
If half of all vehicles sold are zero-emission by 2030, the country would need 1.2 million public chargers and 28 million private chargers by that year – which a McKinsey report claims would cost more than $35 billion over eight years.Electric vehicle sales have been climbing by double digits each year since 2016, but over half of US consumers cite battery or charging issues as their main concerns – and it’s fair to say the limited network of public charging stations is a roadblock for many buyers.The country has over 128,000 public EV charging outlets and at least 4,500 private charging stations – in comparison with about 150,000 gas stations – and faces a daunting task in trying to build out for its needs.The McKinsey report citing the intense infrastructure hurdles says America’s fleet of electric vehicles would grow from less than three million now to more than 48 million by 2030, amounting to about 15 percent of all vehicles on the road.
I suspect 16 other states will be detaching themselves from California’s insanity once the costs, limitations, and consequences of the gas-powered car ban hit.
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