On June 12, President Trump signed congressional resolutions to repeal California’s vehicle emissions clean air standards and revoked California’s 2035 electric vehicle sales mandate. Then on June 20, the Supreme Court ruled that oil companies can sue states over vehicle emissions standards in the future. And now, Republicans are pushing a budget bill that would end a $7,500 federal tax credit for EV buyers.
In response, California and ten other states are suing the Trump Administration over the right to clean air. That’s essential, but it’s just the start.
California must go on the offensive. With the biggest car market in the nation, California should work to clean our air, reduce climate pollution, and maximize the benefits of EVs, including lower electricity bills. Policymakers can leverage the fight over EVs to secure a more reliable, affordable, and clean electricity system.
How? By adopting policies to make EVs bidirectional so they can store excess energy in their batteries and provide it to the electricity grid during peak hours. That would ensure EVs help reverse soaring electricity bills and reduce blackouts as we face more extreme events. Enacting policies to promote bidirectional EVs would also help ensure cleaner air by reducing demand for polluting peaker power plants and dirty diesel backup generators when the grid is strained.
This potential is significant. Our partners at The Union of Concerned Scientists released a new report detailing how connecting EVs to the grid and making them bidirectional could help save billions each year in electricity costs while delivering cleaner, more reliable electricity.
Despite federal setbacks, EV sales are expected to keep growing globally. Auto manufacturers like Ford and Hyundai are forging ahead on EVs and California’s EV market continues to be one of the largest in the world.
California is uniquely positioned to lead on accelerating mass adoption of bidirectional EVs and integrating EVs into the electricity grid. Harnessing the power of EVs across California is one key strategy to secure cleaner air, more affordable electricity, and a safer climate.
To learn more, please join me for our next webinar on July 24, The Affordability and Public Health Benefits of Bidirectional Electric School Buses. And please tell our state leaders to stand up for climate action!
This blog first appeared in The Climate Center’s bi-weekly newsletter. To keep up with the latest climate news and ways to take action for a climate-safe future, subscribe today!
Reuters.
