Regarding Washington’s desire to eliminate the sale of new gas-powered cars in the foreseeable future, state Sen. Marko Liias says it best.
“As often in public life, we’re building an airplane while we’re flying it,” the Lynnwood Democrat told Crosscut. Liias is chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, and he probably understands the challenges of the state’s goals as well as anybody.
Those goals are ambitious. But are they realistic? In moving toward vastly reducing carbon emissions in Washington, leaders must develop pragmatic solutions rather that relying on wishful thinking.
This year, the Legislature set a target of 2030 for encouraging all state residents to wean themselves from gas-powered vehicles. Good idea, but this amounts to wishful thinking; the state also could encourage all residents to eat kale every day because it’s good for them, but that doesn’t mean it will happen.
Gov. Jay Inslee has added to that ambition by setting a goal of 2035 for eliminating the sale of new gas-powered vehicles. “This is a critical milestone in our climate fight,” Inslee wrote on Twitter. “We’re ready to adopt California’s regs (regulations) by the end of this year.”
That doesn’t mean that everybody would be required to drive an electric vehicle; gas-fueled used cars would still be available. But it does mean the state has plenty of work to do.
The most pressing issue is a lack of charging stations. As Crosscut reports: “The state government does not know how many new charging stations and what types of new chargers will be needed by 2035. … The cost for this project is largely unknown.”
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Washington had 3,943 public electric vehicle charging ports as of September 2021. That works out to one port for every 1,963 residents; California had a port for every 1,058 residents. California already has implemented an executive order banning the sale of gasoline cars by 2035; Washington’s proposal would add light pickup trucks to that mandate.
The federal government will be in charge of developing charging stations along interstate freeways. But regardless of who builds them, charging stations will require Washington electricity, and building out the electrical grid will require planning and quick action.
In April, Inslee vetoed a bill designed to address power supply, despite the fact it unanimously passed the Legislature. “Ensuring that our electricity grid continues to reliably provide power to Washingtonians is a priority for me as well, which is why we have multiple state agencies already working on this issue,” he wrote.
But questions of logistics do not mitigate the state’s need to promote the use of electric vehicles and to scale back gas-powered vehicles.
A study from the state Department of Commerce found that, from 2016 to 2018, transportation accounted for nearly 45 percent of all carbon emissions in the state. And a report this year by the International Energy Agency determined: “Electric vehicles are the key technology to decarbonize road transport, a sector that accounts for 16 percent of global emissions.”
But in a state where about 4 percent of registered vehicles are electric, there is a long way to go before fulfilling ambitious goals.
Between developing charging infrastructure, bolstering the power grid and generating public support for electric vehicles, state leaders are, indeed, trying to build a plane in midair.
