House Dems, GOP urge Gov. Hochul to pump brakes on impractical electric car edict
New York Democrats have joined Republicans in urging Gov.Kathy Hochul to pump the brakes on the timeline forcing New Yorkers to switch from gas-powered cars to emission-free electric autos.The Advanced Clean Car rule requires that 35% of 2026 model cars sold in the state be “emissions-free” and 100% by 2035, though Hochul’s office said there’s built-in flexibility to avoid penalties.The message from New York lawmakers: slow down!“While we understand the goal of reducing emissions, the current mandate presents numerous challenges for New Yorkers, particularly for dealerships, employees, and consumers, that could have substantial economic repercussions,” a Feb.14 bipartisan letter sent to Hochul by eight members of NY’s House delegation — including fellow upstate Democratic Reps.
Joseph Morelle of Rochester, John Mannion of Syracuse and Tim Kennedy of Buffalo.The leak of the letter from House members comes a week after The Post reported gripes from New York auto dealers who said the deadline to meet the goals of weaning drivers off gas-powered cars to electric vehicles is pie in the sky. “While we share the goal of reducing emissions, these targets are misaligned with current consumer demand.Nationally, electric vehicle sales accounted for just 8.1% of the market in 2024, up only slightly from 7.8% in 2023, and in many parts of New York, EV sales remain below 2%,” read the bipartisan letter also signed by Republican Reps.
Nicole Malliotakis, Mike Lawler, Nick Langworthy, Nick LaLota, and Claudia Tenney.“Despite increased investment in EV infrastructure and extensive government incentives, many consumers are not yet ready or able to make the switch to electric vehicles,” the lawmakers said.The aggressive timeline to transition from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles could damage New York’s auto market, the pols claimed.They also contended that auto dealers this year will be required to sell one zero-emission vehicle for every two gas-p...