Recharging the Electric Idea

The decision by a number of populous states to follow California’s lead in fostering development of electric cars gives the Clinton Administration added political muscle to prod U.S. auto makers to finally get serious about electric vehicles.

Last week’s vote by the Ozone Transport Commission, which represents 12 Eastern states and the District of Columbia, makes it clear that California--the home of strict emissions rules and the beginnings of an EV industry--is no longer a voice in the wilderness when it comes to promoting EV technology.

Despite objections from the auto industry, the commission approved a series of recommendations that are close to ones already adopted by California. The commission recommends that its member states implement a low-emissions program beginning in 1996 and require the sale of cleaner cars and light trucks starting in 1999. The body also called for a progressive reduction in emissions with each model year, beginning in 1999, with a reduction of nearly 50% by 2003; electric vehicles would meet low- or zero-emissions standards. With its vote, the commission formally calls on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require “progressively cleaner standards” for automobile emissions. The EPA now has nine months to draft final rules on low-emission vehicles.

The EPA--and the Administration generally--has been on the defensive lately with regard to clean-air rules and the potential of EV technology. The auto industry has mounted a strong lobbying campaign against California’s strict emissions standards at a time when the Administration has launched a “partnership” with Detroit to develop cleaner vehicles (although not necessarily electric cars). The states represented on the commission, together with California, are home to slightly more than 50% of the nation’s population. Obviously Detroit knows there is a big potential market for electric vehicles in these states, and that it had better get with the program.