Maine Gov. Janet Mills recently signed an executive order that calls for a clean transportation roadmap that would increase the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road by 2030.
The Governor’s Energy Office, the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Maine Department of Transportation, and the Efficiency Maine Trust will develop the plan.
The plan must be submitted to Mills by Dec. 30 and include recommendations to ensure an equitable and affordable transition to clean transportation, evaluate effects on electric utilities and the grid, expand charging infrastructure, and enhance the state’s EV market.
EVs are less than 1 percent of registered vehicles in Maine, although this number is expected to increase as technology changes, prices decline, and governments commit to the transition to EVs.
More than half of all greenhouse gas emissions in the state are from transportation.
The state aims to reduce emissions by 45 percent by 2030. Maine Won’t Wait, the state’s climate action plan, estimates 219,000 light-duty EVs must on the road by 2030 to meet these emissions targets.
The executive order also creates a recognition program for auto dealers, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and other businesses for leadership on clean transportation.