New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently directed the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to take regulatory action requiring all new passenger cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs sold in the state to have zero emissions by 2035.
“New York is a national climate leader and an economic powerhouse, and we’re using our strength to help spur innovation and implementation of zero-emission vehicles on a grand scale,” Hochul said. “With sustained state and federal investments, our actions are incentivizing New Yorkers, local governments, and businesses to make the transition to electric vehicles.”
The regulation requires an increasing percentage of new light-duty vehicle sales to be zero-emission vehicles starting with 35 percent of sales for model year 2026. By 2030, the percentage of sales will increase to 68 percent and reach 100 percent of sales by 2035.
In addition, new pollutant standards for internal combustion engine vehicles would be required for model years 2026 through 2034.
Later this year, DEC will post the regulatory proposal on its website and share information about stakeholder outreach, public hearings, and the public comment period.
The move builds on the Advanced Clean Trucks regulation adopted in December 2021 that increases in the number of medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission models available for purchase.