FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2019
Contact: Noah Barnes, Plug In America
nbarnes@pluginamerica.org, (323) 333-8010
Washington State Senate passes zero emission vehicles bill
Citizens to have access to more zero emission vehicles
OLYMPIA, WASH.—Yesterday, Washington State’s Senate passed Senate Bill 5811, which allows the Department of Ecology to adopt California’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program regulations. By their action, the Senate has taken an important step to attack the state’s #1 source of air pollution, transportation sector emissions. The ZEV program is designed to reward all manufacturers selling vehicles in the state who actively market their full range of low- and zero-emission models to Washington’s residents.
Joel Levin, executive director of Plug In America, applauded Washington’s legislators for their action. “At a time when the federal government’s automobile fuel economy standards are under attack, Washington State is moving in a direction which is more consistent with the rest of the world, and is helping to reassert the U.S.’s leadership in the automotive industry. In 2018, about two million plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) were sold in the world. Unfortunately, less than 20% of those, 361,000, were sold in the U.S.”
The objective of California’s ZEV program is to reduce harmful emissions from vehicles by setting a maximum average level of harmful pollutants emitted from a manufacturer’s entire line of vehicles sold in California. The scoring system is weighted to favor manufacturers who sell more low- and zero-emission vehicles in the state.
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About Plug In America
Plug In America is the nation’s leading independent consumer voice for accelerating the use of plug-in electric vehicles in the United States. Formed as a non-profit in 2008, Plug In America provides practical, objective information collected from our coalition of plug-in vehicle drivers, through public outreach and education, policy work and a range of technical advisory services. Our expertise represents the world’s deepest pool of experience of driving and living with plug-in vehicles. We drive electric. You can too. pluginamerica.org
