Maine and Connecticut’s EV Sales Targets Fail, Advocates Shift Focus to Charging Infrastructure and Consumer Education.

After setbacks to adopting electric vehicle sales targets in Maine and Connecticut, clean transportation advocates are focusing on charging infrastructure and consumer education. Maine’s Board of Environmental Protection voted 4-2 against adopting California’s Advanced Clean Cars II rules, which would have required electric or plug-in hybrids to make up 82% of new vehicle sales in the state by model year 2032. Neither state nor California had chosen to consider California’s Advanced Clean Trucks standard, which sets similar targets for heavy-duty vehicle sales. Advocates argue that progress in this sector will stall in these states until they adopt the updated California rules. They also fear that this could lead to less choice and supply for both new and used electric vehicles as carmakers focus on other states.