Report: NJ Clean Cars Program Could Save Drivers $60 Billion, Avoid 362 Hospital Visits
New Jersey’s Electrification of Cars and Light-Duty Trucks would Provide Far-Reaching Benefits

TRENTON, NJ (May 3, 2023) — New Jersey can avoid up to 362 hospital visits and save drivers nearly $60 billion by transitioning to zero-emission electric cars and light-duty trucks, according to a new report. The New Jersey Advanced Clean Cars II Program report investigated the climate, health, and job benefits if the state were to adopt Advanced Clean Cars II, a program which, by 2035, would require that every new car and light-duty truck sold in New Jersey be zero-emission. The report was prepared by ERM and commissioned by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) and the Sierra Club.

The report outlined three scenarios for the state and discovered that if New Jersey were to adopt Advanced Clean Cars II, by 2050, there would be:

• 175 to 358 avoided premature deaths and 170 to 362 avoided hospital visits from breathing polluted air,
• Cost-savings to New Jersey vehicle owners of nearly $60 billion,
• Annual electricity rate savings of up to $174 for the average New Jersey household and $728 for the average commercial customer,
• Reductions of up to 243 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, 81 thousand metric tons of NOx, and 7,200 metric tons of particulate matter,
• Annual vehicle cost savings for New Jersey vehicle owners estimated at $4.4 billion,
• And cumulative net societal benefits (the sum of public health and climate benefits, net cost savings for vehicle owners, and net utility costs from increased electricity demand for electric vehicle charging) of up to $97 billion.

“New Jersey has the opportunity to do much more to accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles in the state and ensure that residents are breathing in fewer pollutants,” said Kathy Harris, Clean Vehicles and Fuels Advocate at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “The report findings make clear that adopting Advanced Clean Car II rules would bring immense benefits—including improved public health and vehicle owner savings— and put the state on a pathway that centers climate action around clean air, health, and affordability for all New Jerseyans.”

“This report shows what New Jersey stands to gain from adopting the Advanced Clean Cars II rule. By lessening the burden of air pollution on vulnerable communities, this rule will save lives, slash climate emissions from one of New Jersey’s dirtiest sectors, and ease the economic burden for households,” said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We urge New Jersey to move forward quickly with the Advanced Clean Cars II Program in order to promote public health and address the climate crisis, while also positioning ourselves as a market leader in clean transportation across the nation.”

For more information, read the blog here.

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NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world’s natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.