Maine rejects sweeping electric vehicle mandate
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Obviously
Maine rejects sweeping electric vehicle mandate in blow to governor's climate agenda
'Affordable transportation is a requirement, not a luxury, in rural Maine,' said Democratic Maine Rep. Jared Golden in a post on X
Maine's top environmental regulator rejected a proposed state electric vehicle (EV) mandate in a surprise vote, bucking climate concerns voiced by eco groups and Democrats.
The Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) turned down the so-called Advanced Clean Cars program after receiving overwhelming opposition from stakeholders and citizens. The proposed program would have closely mirrored regulations approved in California, mandating that at least 51% of new car purchases in the state be electric by 2028 and 82% be electric by 2032.
"The Maine Board of Environmental Protection received nearly 1,800 comments from the people of Maine and nearly 84% were not in favor of this EV mandate," Maine Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart told Fox News Digital. "Maine is far too rural with far too few charging stations, and many Mainers are also concerned about the reliability of these vehicles in our extreme cold-weather months."
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The "not enough charging stations" complaint makes sense.
The "may not be sufficiently reliable in cold weather" complaint may not, since EVs are very popular in Scandinavia which has very cold climate.
I have no problem with Maine's decision. I myself has yet to adopt an EV.
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@Axtremus said in Maine rejects sweeping electric vehicle mandate:
EVs are very popular in Scandinavia which has very cold climate.
Exactly. Not the problems with the vehicle, but with the "infrastructure"
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@Axtremus said in Maine rejects sweeping electric vehicle mandate:
EVs are very popular in Scandinavia which has very cold climate.
Yep. However, my understanding is that time spent in the car is significantly less (smaller cities with shorter commutes) so that cold battery problems are not an issue.
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@taiwan_girl said in Maine rejects sweeping electric vehicle mandate:
Exactly. Not the problems with the vehicle
I'm not sure how you define a problem, but below freezing temperatures cause lower capacity and longer charging times. And other problems.
EVs may be popular in Scandinavia, that doesn't mean cold weather is not a problem.
And over the course of the whole 358 miles of mixed driving, the Lightning averaged 1.5 mile/kwh—amounting to about 200 miles of range from the 131-kwh Extended Range Pack, rated for 320 miles.
So overall, the Lightning lost about a third of its efficiency—and range—in the cold.