Move over, California. This is five years before your plan kicks in.
California s plan to ban sales of new ICE-powered vehicles beginning in 2035 now seems a bit ancient. Washington state lawmakers last week passed a measure called the Clean Cars 2030 initiative as an amendment to an existing bill requiring state utilities to properly prepare for an all-electric vehicle future. That bill only now awaits Gov. Jay Inslee s signature to make it law. Assuming it passes without any hiccups, Washington state residents will only be able to purchase pure battery-electric vehicles in nine years time.
The bill specifically bans the sale, purchase, and registration of non-EVs from model year 2030. And yes, it also includes vehicles purchased outside the state. There ll be no way to bypass going all-electric if you re a Washington resident.
EV startups like Rivian and Lucid are joining the fight.
The years-long battle between franchised automotive dealerships and their powerful lobbyists against Tesla and newer electric vehicle startups like Rivian and Lucid is back in the news as 11 states are now considering legalizing direct sales. The only way to buy a new Tesla Model S or Rivian R1T, to name just two examples, is directly from the company instead of a franchised dealership.
Dealerships argue that customers benefit from privately owned dealers for a number of reasons, among them pricing competition, warranty repairs, and helping local economies. Electric vehicle brands say consumers receive the same necessary basic services and transparent pricing. Equally important, things like over-the-air updates and other software-related services that EVs require can be done more efficiently in a direct manufacturer-customer relationship.
We re talking at least 100 charging stalls.
General Motors owned the news spotlight over the past week following the reveal of the GMC Hummer EV SUV and the Silverado EV announcement. But there s a certain other automaker that continues to be a thorn in GM s side (and all other legacy brands). Tesla remains the global market EV leader and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. Earlier this week it added $50 billion to its value, now rated at $660 billion. To compare, GM is barely worth $90 billion. Tesla is unafraid of rivals and even welcomes them.
Another critical area where Tesla leads is charging infrastructure. It currently has 16,103 superchargers strategically located throughout the world, 908 of which are in the US. That number will soon increase to 918.
Enthusiasts want more power, and tuners big and small will bring it to them.
It seems a new manufacturer (rightly) jumps on the electrified bandwagon every day. Jaguar has promised to electrify its fleet, Audi is taking its bread-and-butter A4 and A5 are adding volts and Volkswagen, well, you know what it did. But right now, it seems like we re at polar ends as enthusiasts.
There are cheaper hybrid and electric vehicles like the Toyota Prius and VW ID.4, and then insane electric supercars like the Porsche Taycan and McLaren P1. But in a decade or two, when the kids are driving used Nissan Leafs and Toyota Priuses and Chevy Bolts, what will they be able to do improve performance, beyond tires and suspension?