Keep Spark in Electric Car Market

Since they first whirred onto California freeways in late 1996, electric vehicles have been as much a novelty as a serious alternative to smog-causing gasoline-powered vehicles. Only a couple of thousand EVs are on the road, partly because they have been so pricey that dealers offered them only for lease rather than sale. Also, their limited range has made them impractical for many commuters.

But despite the low consumer demand and opposition from manufacturers, the California Air Resources Board should reaffirm its commitment to electric cars when it meets Sept. 7. To loosen the state’s zero emission vehicle standard would not only crush the fragile electric vehicle market but could undermine other emerging clean technologies.

Smog problems have forced California to foster cleaner cars. The state, starting in 1990, required auto manufacturers to make a fixed percentage of their new cars emission-free. At present, only electric vehicles qualify under this mandate, though such technologies as fuel cells are being developed. The state originally required at least 10% of a manufacturer’s new-car fleet to be electric by 2003; in 1998, the figure was changed to 4% and auto makers were allowed to substitute so-called near-zero-emission vehicles for the remaining 6%. State air board rules allow the agency to periodically review its goals and timetables.

The 4% EV mandate could revive the now-dormant production of electric vehicles and spur more effective marketing; it ought to be retained. EV technology has improved in recent years--new batteries and lighter materials extend a car’s range to more than 100 miles between rechargings--and the number of public charging stations is growing. The cars’ quiet, smooth operation has won over many who have tried them. They have been most useful as second cars or fleet cars.

Because EVs are the cleanest cars available, they are needed to meet state and federal mandates to cut smog. As gas-thirsty sport-utility vehicles multiply, air quality targets on which federal funds depend will be more difficult to achieve. Just as important, the zero-emission mandate has helped push other clean technologies. The commercial debut of hybrid gasoline-electric cars with mileage as high as 60 miles per gallon owes much to the state’s zero-emission goals.

The air board would do well to keep these important accomplishments in mind.