The ZEVs are coming. Not a term that most people recognize yet, ZEVs are “zero emissions vehicles” and generally refer to a class of cars that can drive with no tailpipe emissions: electric cars and hydrogen electric fuel cell vehicles being the most commonly available technology.
The ZEVs are coming because the law says they must. New York and eight other states have adopted California’s ZEV Program, which requires automakers to sell minimum numbers of ZEVs and low emission vehicle or face steep fines. The Program’s requirements become more stringent every few years as the sales requirements increase and the qualifying vehicle standards become more stringent. By 2025, we could see 15% of total car sales in these states coming from ZEVs thanks to the ZEV Program.
The ZEVs are coming because the automakers have developed the vehicles and they really like them. On the electric car side, Tesla’s Model S boasts a 240 mile driving range after an overnight charge, though most consumers will only need an hour or two to top up their batteries after the daily commute. Chevrolet recently announced its own entrance into the pure ZEV market with the Bolt, a more affordable car with a slightly lower driving range (200 miles). And on the hydrogen fuel cell side, Toyota plans to start selling its Mirai this year in California where 48 hydrogen filling stations are expected to open by 2016, with further roll-outs to other states as station infrastructure is developed. And these are just a few of the new ZEV makes and models coming to market.
The ZEVs are coming because they are good. Because ZEVs have no tailpipe emissions they also don’t spew harmful pollutants throughout our cities and neighborhoods. (Studies show that even where coal generates the electricity that powers the electric car, there is still a reduction in emissions.) Less motor vehicle air pollution means cleaner and more livable cities and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. And it’s not just the environmentalists who are cheering these cars on. National security hawks are pushing for ZEVs as a way to diversify the fuel sources away from gasoline, which currently powers over 90% of America’s transportation needs, making the country vulnerable to oil shocks and military threats. ZEVs appear to be a win for both Mother Nature and Uncle Sam.
But, for the ZEVs to really come, we need the infrastructure to support them. That means that it must be possible to charge an electric car and refuel a hydrogen fuel vehicle without hassle and anxiety. California has led the way with amended building codes that support electric vehicle recharging stations, and public funding of hydrogen fueling stations, but other states are falling in line. Here in New York a variety of programs are being undertaken including programs to create a statewide network of up to 3,000 public and workplace charging stations, and an initiative to increase the number of ZEVs in the state agencies’ fleets. In addition, companies such as NRG and Air Liquide are developing their own backbone of commercial stations in collaboration with automakers to support electric and hydrogen fuel vehicles. [Full disclosure: Our firm is counsel to Toyota, and, further, we advised it on its agreement with Air Liquide to build hydrogen fueling stations in several northeast states.]
We may well be standing on the cusp of a significant transformation of the United States transportation system. If it succeeds it will be because of the overall collaboration of state and federal government, private enterprise and consumer demand. The ZEVs are coming, and let’s see where they go.
By: Sarah Fitts, Grant Rauscher and Katherine Steele
