The number of electric vehicles on California’s highways could increase to more than one million within the next decade, it has been revealed. A new initiative spearheaded by the Governor of California, Jerry Brown, calls for an increase in the production of zero-emission /partial zero-emission motor vehicles, with a target of one million expected by 2023.
Current estimates suggest that around 100,000 ‘plug-in’ cars are already on the road in California, equating to 40 percent of all such vehicles in the United States. The initiative also calls for electric vehicles to be made more affordable to low-income residents, with several bills having been signed this week in a bid to get the ball rolling.
One bill calls for plans to be drafted that will further open up the state’s rebate program – which has offered 75,000 rebates for electric and hybrid vehicles since 2010 – and provide an incentive for drivers to make the switch to electric. Another bill calls for property owners to be granted approval to install electric charging stations, with an emphasis being placed on appealing to apartment block owners and other low-income residence proprietors. A third bill calls for car pool lanes and toll lanes to be opened up to electric vehicle drivers.
In a video statement, Gov. Brown explained: “We are carrying on because we know in California that carbon pollution kills, it undermines our environment, and long-term, it’s an economic loser. We face an existential challenge with the changes in our climate. The time to act is now; the place to look is California. We’re not finished, but we sure are setting the place.” The statement was recorded ahead of Gov. Brown’s appearance at a United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York.