In October 2023, the Board of Environmental Protection directed Maine DEP staff to draft the final rule on Maine’s adoption of California’s Clean Cars II policy. If enacted, manufacturers will be mandated to supply dealerships with an increasing percentage of electric vehicles, 43% of new cars, SUVs and pickup trucks sold in Maine must be Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) by model year 2027 and 82% by the model year 2032, and finally 100% by 2035-meaning all new light-duty vehicles will be ZEVs.
When Maine proceeds with this new regulation, California will control the policy related to Advanced Clean Cars II, thereby setting standards for our state. Manufacturers can meet the demand by forcing Maine dealerships to accept the ZEVs, or they can purchase credits from a manufacturer that has credits available. In that case, it’s likely that the consumer will feel the pressure from carrying the liability of credits on both ZEVs and traditional vehicles.
In Maine, range anxiety is a top concern for residents in our rural state. Maine currently has 457 EV charging station locations with 1,005 EVSE ports. While Maine is set to receive additional Federal Funds, approximately $28 Million, to build out the charging network the proposed policy will accelerate the need.
Our state is also dependent on our fuel tax by adding a fee on the cost of each gallon of fuel sold. A swift move to electric will decimate the highway fund at a time when a total of 44% of Maine’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition and a total of 14% of Maine’s bridges are rated in poor/structurally deficient condition, meaning there is significant deterioration to the major components of the bridge.
It’s expected that the Maine BEP will cast a final vote on the adoption of the California policy in late December 2023.