WA State Passes ZEV Mandate
On March 9, 2020, the Washington state legislature narrowly passed The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, otherwise known as SB-5811, by a vote of 25 to 23. This bill will require that all auto manufacturers that sell new model vehicles in Washington state have to have at least 8% of their vehicle inventory have zero emissions.
What this means for Washington car buyers:
Previously, many manufacturers didn’t ship their newest electric vehicles to Washington state, simply because there was little support from the state government. Deciding to ship new models to California, who had enacted a similar bill in 2012. As the popularity of electric vehicles have grown, many Washingtonians have traveled south to California to buy their new vehicles. However, starting in 2018, Auto manufacturers required State ID in order to purchase Electric Vehicles that were classified as (California Only) seeing as Washington and Oregon buyers were severely limiting inventory for Californians. Now that Washington State has passed their own Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, we can expect to see 5 to 13 new model Electric vehicles making their way to Washington show rooms and roadways. We can also expect to see new auto brands enter the Electric Vehicle marketplace. Ford 150 Electric and Ford Mustang are already in the works to launch in Washington State in 2021, while the 2018 Hyundai Kona as been seeing a large adoption rate in States who have passed ZEV Mandates.
We can also expect to see a wider selection of vehicle options for those of us who plan on switching from fossil fuel powered vehicles. From more affordable, smaller ranged vehicles like the Fiat 500e to medium priced road trippers like the Hyundai Kona all the way up to luxury sports cars like the Porsche Taycan. Whatever your budget, whatever your needs, you will have a wider selection to choose from when switching to all Electric!
If you have any questions about switching to Electric vehicles, please feel free to contact Ryan Palmateer at the San Juan Islands Conservation District by e-mail Ryan@sjicd.org or by Phone 360-378-6621 ext.102
