NEW JERSEY IS NATIONAL LEADER IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES WITH NEW LAW SIGNED BY GOVERNOR MURPHY

Highland Park, NJ: The long-awaited bill to jump start the market for electric vehicles (S2252/A4819) landed on Governor Murphy’s desk which he enthusiastically signed into law this afternoon. The new law, which saw bipartisan support in the legislature, will establish New Jersey as a leading state in the nation for clean transportation.

“Increasing the use of electric vehicles is a critical step to secure New Jersey’s clean energy future,” said Governor Murphy. “By establishing aggressive goals and strong incentives for electric vehicles, we are repositioning our economy and state for a clean future. Today, I am proudly signing bipartisan legislation that will transform New Jersey’s transportation sector and modernize our infrastructure to support our goal of reaching 100 percent clean energy by 2050.” The transportation sector is responsible for almost half of the greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey. Electric vehicles are a proven technology. Widespread adoption of these “batteries on wheels” is necessary in order to meet state greenhouse gas emissions air pollution reduction and other state goals.

Under his Administration, Governor Murphy has supported the growth of this market in various ways consistent with the new law, including: all VW settlement monies to date have been allocated for electrification projects; the Draft Energy Master Plan which puts electrification of transportation as the first key strategy; and establishment of the Partnership to Plug in, a joint initiative by the Board of Public Utilities, Department of Environmental Protection, and Economic Development Authority. The Administration has also joined lawsuits with other states on the California waiver challenge by Trump and signed the Zero Emission Vehicle-MOU which committed New Jersey to 330,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2025.

Senate bill sponsors Bob Smith and Linda Greenstein, and Assembly sponsors Dan Benson and Nancy Pinkin worked tirelessly for two years on a bill that would establish New Jersey as an east coast leader. “This is an important and complex area – and a key initiative to a healthy environment and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions,” Senator Smith continued, “Getting this across the finish line required involving many different stakeholders to get a bill that all could support.” Senator Greenstein added, “The commitment to this bill from such a wide array of stakeholders shows how impactful it will really be. I am proud to be an advocate for this bill that will bring environmental, economic, and personal health benefits to our constituents.”

This law also establishes goals for NJ Transit to completely electrify their bus fleet purchases by 2032. “For a cleaner, healthier state, this law puts forth strong, attainable goals to increase the number of electric vehicles and charging stations in New Jersey as well as making sure at least 10% of NJT’s new bus purchases are zero emission buses by 2024.” says Assemblyman Benson. “New Jersey is a transportation hub, with millions of vehicles travelling in and through the state each day that aggravate public health issues and that worsen the effects of climate change,” Assemblywoman Pinkin adds, “By promoting the use of electric vehicles in communities across the state, we can provide all of our residents with a safer place to live.”

This law establishes ambitious goals for electric vehicles – 330,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2025. As of June 2019, and documented in a ChargEVC study we are 8.1% towards that goal. It also includes ambitious and necessary goals for charging infrastructure – the type of which will allow the “plug in” experience to be similar to the “gas up” experience in terms of public access, time and convenience.

“Back in 2016, New Jersey essentially had a blank slate with respect to electric vehicle market development. With this law, many of the initiatives started under this Administration are now bolstered with a strong and stable statutory framework,” says Pamela Frank, CEO of ChargEVC. She continues, “It’s also no accident that you find remarkable alignment with the market initiatives underway in this law. We actively fostered a spirit of ongoing communication and collaboration among all the stakeholders. New Jersey can hold this up as a model for the country. We stand proud.”

A copy of the bill can be found here.

###

ChargEVC is a not-for-profit coalition of diverse stakeholders that includes retail automotive dealers, utilities, consumer and equity advocates, environmental and labor organizations and technology companies. See chargevc.org for more information.