|
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, whose goal is to have one million electric
vehicles on Illinois roads within six years, has admitted that
demand for EVs has tailed off.
Auto analyst Alan Baum of Baum and Associates said there were
expectations that the Big 3 automakers were going to start
producing a large volume of EVs at affordable prices.
“That kind of fell short,” said Baum. “There have been
significant problems with both the automakers and some of their
suppliers and that has led to higher costs and therefore higher
prices, which led to declines in consumer uptick.”
In Illinois, EV charging anxiety may still be an issue,
especially in rural areas of the state. A recent EV
infrastructure study showed that Illinois has 3.3 charging ports
per 10,000 drivers. That is compared to 33 in the District of
Columbia. In April, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
announced plans to spend more that $25 million on EV charging
infrastructure.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized strict new
rules on vehicle emissions that will push the auto industry to
accelerate its transition to electric vehicles. Under the new
rules, the EPA expects that EVs could account for up to 56% of
new passenger vehicles sold for model years 2030 through 2032.
The Illinois Corn Growers Association has joined industry groups
in a lawsuit to pressure the EPA to pump the brakes on proposed
auto tailpipe rules.
Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Engine Technology
Forum, said automakers continue to produce increasingly
efficient advanced vehicles powered by gasoline, hybrid-electric
and diesel internal combustion engines, which represent
approximately 90% of the market today.
“We think that the internal combustion engine still has plenty
of useful life left and has a great opportunity to contribute
substantially to helping reduce greenhouse gas and other
emissions in the years ahead,” said Schaeffer.
|
|
