New Mexico to introduce manufacturer EV requirements
The governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham has announced a plan requiring vehicle manufacturers to provide an increasing number of electric models in the state over the next ten years. She will use an executive order to pass the measure.
Once it has passed, the Advanced Clean Cars & Advanced Trucks rule will require manufacturers to ensure at least 43% of all cars and at least 15% of all trucks sold in New Mexico are electric models by the 2026 calendar year. Over time, those percentage levels will grow to 82% for cars and between 40% and 75% for trucks, with rates depending on their class, by 2034.
The enforcement of the law will be interesting, as the “rules apply only to automakers, not auto dealers or consumers,” nor do the rules prohibit the sale or ownership of new or used gasoline-powered vehicles, meaning there is very little local control exercised to ensure that more electric vehicles will be purchased and used. Grisham stated that “many electric vehicles” will be on New Mexico’s roadways over the next 10 years or so, though. According to her, the plan is more aimed to provide EVs to consumers who want them, rather than forcing the state’s transportation system to an emissions-free mode.
According to Cabinet Member James Kenney, the rules for the Advanced Clean Cars & Advanced Clean Trucks proposal likely will be posted by the state Environment Department by Friday, once his agency’s Environmental Improvement Board has reviewed and approved the rule.
The local publication Santa Fe New Mexican points out that the biggest barrier in the state’s adoption of electric or fuel cell vehicles is not availability, but price: “At the end of 2022, the average price of an electric vehicle was $61,488, compared with $49,507 for all non-electric passenger cars and trucks, according to Kelley Blue Book.”
While most conservation groups and initiatives responded positively, some criticized that the measure does not go far enough. For example, Ennedith López, policy campaign manager for Youth United for Climate Crisis Action wrote in an email; “We welcome the administration’s effort to tackle transportation sector emissions from new vehicles. However, we urge the governor to move beyond consumer-market-based initiatives.”
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