SB 1275 Passes — Californian Senate Moves To Accelerate EV Adoption

June 3rd, 2014 by James Ayre

SB 1275 has passed the California Senate, and with quite a substantial bipartisan majority of 27-9. The approval of the bill — which will/would establish the Charge Ahead California Initiative — now rests on the State Assembly, which will be reviewing it next.

If/when approved, the bill means that a number of interesting new programs will be created with the aim to increase the rate of EV adoption in the highly populous western state.

Specifically, the bill calls for: the establishment of a number of new programs; changes to a number of vehicle rebate and voucher incentive programs; a funding plan for said programs and changes; and an expansion of the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program. The goal of these changes will be to put at least 1 million electric vehicles on the road within the next decade (by 2023) — thereby creating a self-sustaining industry, as well as increasing access to these types of vehicles for low-income communities.

Here are the Senate staff comments on the bill (coming to us via Green Car Congress: “This proposal is consistent with the May 2013 Cap-and- Trade Auction Proceeds Investment Plan, which emphasizes investments in existing programs in sectors which have the greatest GHG emissions, namely transportation, energy, waste, and natural resources, with proposed investments commensurate with relative emissions. Investment in existing programs, rather than creating new programs, expedites investments in GHG-reducing projects. The Legislature has yet to act on the Administration’s proposal, but it could be modified through the budget process to incorporate the goals and expenditures envisioned by this bill.”

In related news, California is now leading a coalition of eight states that is aiming to bring a total of 3.3 million EVs to the collective roads of said states by the year 2015. The goal will be achieved via the application of an 11-step plan that does everything from building the market, to providing management and standardization, to driving sales.









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