Today, I want to take some time to talk you through our proposal and share how it could work in tandem with Governor Newsom’s 2022 - 2023 budget proposal to put our state within striking distance of our 2030 climate goals.

I imagine it won’t surprise you to learn that, as a state, we’re not on track to hit our 2030 goal (reduce emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels). We’re currently running about 30 years behind: with current trends, we won’t achieve our 2030 GHG reduction goals until 2060. To get back on track, we need to rapidly cut GHG emissions from our transportation sector. That’s where Electrify CA! comes in.

California's transportation sector accounts for nearly half of our state’s (GHG) emissions, and the primary culprits are fossil fuel-powered cars. Governor Newsom recognizes this problem: he issued an executive order to phase out fossil fuel-powered vehicles and require all new cars sold in California be zero-emission by 2035. That deadline, however, would only reduce GHG emissions by about 17 million tons, far short of the approximately 60 million tons we need to reach our 2030 goals. Our Electrify CA! proposal accelerates Newsom’s goal, and requires all new cars sold in California to be zero- and low-emission vehicles by 2027.

We have to get a lot of people in clean cars, and we have to do it quickly. The Governor’s recent budget proposal — which includes historic investments on climate — includes a request for additional funding for zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) incentive programs like this one. That’s a good investment, but we need to make sure those financial incentives get to the folks who really need them. Here’s the thing: rebates for big purchases like vehicles often come in the form of a tax credit, or a payment six months (or longer) after the purchase. That timeline doesn’t work for families who don’t pay much in taxes, or who can’t wait months for their rebate. Electrify CA! transforms those incentives into targeted point-of-sale “cash-on-hood” rebates to benefit the families who really need them, not the people looking to get a slightly cheaper Tesla.

As we think about getting massive numbers of Californians into clean cars, there are two important energy considerations: preparing the electrical grid for expanded demand and deploying public charging stations across the state. The Governor has plans for that, too, and Electrify CA! accelerates them. The Governor’s budget proposal includes funding for 100,000 new EV charging stations in California by the end of 2023. That sounds like a lot... until you read the 2021 report by the California Energy Commission (CEC) which estimates that more than a million new chargers will need to be built by 2030 in order to meet our climate goals. Electrify CA! calls for the installation of 200,000 public charging stations every year until 2030, to ensure all Californians have access to the power they need. Our policy framework includes strong labor standards to ensure the work to electrify California is completed by union workers earning a family-supporting wage.

Importantly, the work to decrease GHG emissions from our transportation sector not only includes a massive investment in electric cars, but a revitalization of our public transportation infrastructure. Again, this is a principle enshrined in Newsom’s budget, however, current state planning delays efforts to meaningfully reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) — miles traveled in a single occupancy vehicle — until 2050. Electrify CA! requires significant VMT reduction by 2030 through an accelerated deployment of improved public transit, encouragement of bicycle and pedestrian travel, distributed work, and other proven options for reducing the driving of single occupancy vehicles.

Let’s review: Electrify CA! is aligned with the Governor on many priorities, and it’s heartening to see. However, there’s one important facet of Electrify CA! that the state hasn’t imagined: the formation of a statewide battery recycling program. We must invest in clean cars responsibly, and that means enshrining the principles of “reduce, reuse and recycle,” in our management of EV batteries to minimize strain on mineral supplies, eliminate unnecessary waste, and further lower carbon emissions. Electrify CA! would make California a leader in the emerging battery processing and recycling industry: as we should be!

One of the reasons I’m so excited about Electrify CA! Is that it centers low-income and working Californians, the communities who have been left behind in past economic transitions. Working in concert with the Governor’s proposal, we can not only achieve our climate goals, we can do so equitably. I look forward to sharing more information soon.