Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Trucks Standards

Benefits from adopting ACC II standards to 2035:

• A study for NRDC and Sierra Club shows that New Mexicans could receive up to $44 billion in public health and climate benefits, thousands in cost savings  for vehicle owners, and utility savings.

• This includes:

  • Avoiding 85 to 93 premature deaths a year; 80 to 86 hospital visits; and 48,291 to 52,482 health events from breathing polluted air.

  • Reducinging up to 116 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, 38,000 metric tons of  NOx, and 3,300 metric tons of particulate matter. This is among the most meaningful actions New Mexico could possible take to reduce climate pollution.

  • Creating up to 940 jobs, many in well-paying positions in electrical-component manufacturing  and construction.

  • Saving individual EV owners between $14,000 and $16,800 and more than $30 billion in total savings for drivers through 2050.

  • Saving the average New Mexico household up to $24 on their annual electricity bill and saving the average commercial customer up to $185 on their annual electricity bill.

Overview

On July 3, Gov. Lujan Grisham announced that New Mexico will adopt Advanced Clean Car II and Advanced Clean Trucks standards by the end of the year. (Clean Cars standards passed in 2022 were rendered moot when updated state standards were passed before New Mexico’s went into effect). The New Mexico Environment Department is holding public meetings. Please raise your voice in favor of these climate- and health-saving Clean Cars and Trucks standards!

These standards reduce air pollution and will require auto and truck manufacturers to deliver an increasing number of zero-emission electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles for sale. The standards will create jobs, address climate change, and make EVs more accessible in New Mexico.

Personal stories win the day: Use your own words about why these rules are important to you. If you have a personal story about electric vehicles making a positive impact, or if you had a hard time finding an EV in New Mexico!

Key Message

The Advanced Clean Cars and Trucks standards are an important step we can take now to deliver more affordable, clean, electric cars and trucks for people to drive, and reduce harmful air pollution that is impacting everyone, especially communities that live along transportation routes. These standards will deliver substantial benefits of lower costs, cleaner air, more jobs and less climate damage.

Recent studies show that New Mexicans could receive up to $44 billion in benefits from public health and climate improvements, savings to drivers of zero-emissions vehicles, and utility customer savings — by  fully adopting the standards through 2035.

General Talking Points

• The Advanced Clean Cars and Trucks standards will deliver more affordable transportation options for New Mexicans and protect our health by reducing health- and climate-damaging pollution.

• The Advanced Clean Trucks standard will help transform the entire freight industry to reduce pollution harm to our communities and create high-quality green jobs by requiring that vehicle manufacturers sell an increasing percentage of new zero-emission trucks, vans, and buses through 2035.

• By adopting the program, New Mexico can make deep cuts in harmful tailpipe pollution that will save lives and make our households, businesses, and economy less dependent on dirty, volatile, and costly gasoline that damages our climate.

•  New Mexico can do more. Right now, the state’s proposed standard stops short and would end in 2032. This would deprive New Mexicans of billions of dollars in economic, health, and climate benefits. New Mexico should adopt the full Advanced Clean Cars II to 100% in 2035 now to give the state a clear, certain path forward to a clean transportation future.

Improving Equity

Reducing tailpipe pollution from trucks will protect public health, particularly in low-income, black, brown, and Indigenous communities that live closest to transportation routes in New Mexico. The Advanced Clean Trucks standard will hold trucking companies accountable for the pollution impacting New Mexicans’ health.

• A recent report analyzing the projected total cost of ownership in 2027 for several medium- and heavy-duty market segments (including transit and school buses, shuttles, delivery vehicles and refuse haulers) shows that electric vehicles are better investments for consumers than their fossil-fuel counterparts.

• A recent report shows that by 2027, the purchase price alone will make many categories of electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (including transit and school buses; delivery vans and trucks, and refuse haulers) less expensive than their fossil fuel counterparts.

Expanding Affordability

Electric cars cost less to own and operate, relieving New Mexicans from volatile gas prices and lowering household costs. Advanced Clean Cars standards will bring these much-needed benefits to New Mexicans as soon as possible.

• Driving a zero-emission vehicle will save thousands of dollars per year on gasoline.

  • Driving on electricity provides cost stability and savings households can bank on.

  • Consumer Reports found that when the national average gas price spiked to around $4.30/gallon in 2022 with electricity prices at about $0.14/kWh, EV owners could save between $1,800 and $2,600 in operating and maintenance costs for every 15,000 miles they drive compared to drivers of gas-powered vehicles.

  • Because EVs remain parked most of the time, EV load is a highly flexible resource. Because the vast majority of charging is done at home, charging can be shifted to overnight hours. Charging vehicles when the grid is underutilized allows utilities to spread their fixed costs and puts downward pressure on rates.

• Analyses show it’s already less expensive to own and operate an EV than a similar gas model (thanks to cheaper fuel AND maintenance costs).

  • For example, the Ford F-150 Lightning pick-up truck will be 17% cheaper to own than the gas-powered F-150, even though its initial sticker price is higher.

• Electricity prices are much stabler than gasoline prices — EVs protect customers from the unpredictable swings that gas undergoes.

• This rule will incentivize more affordable vehicles.

• Costs are coming down as technology improves.

• Federal tax credits reduce the cost of an EV by up to $7,500 and make zero-emission vehicles more accessible

• Affordable EVs are available now, and prices are expected to reach parity with gas cars by the time these rules go into effect. Shift to EVs a commonsense policy for New Mexicans – Ana Rios EcoMadres/MCAF op-ed

Ramping up Accessibility

A $35 million federal grant is allowing New Mexico to install charging stations every 50 miles along New Mexico’s interstates, and the next phase would put chargers along roads in rural and tribal areas. Thanks to 2021 New Mexico infrastructure legislation, utilities are installing public chargers in key locations across their service areas and providing significant rebates for electrical upgrades and home chargers, with higher rebates of thousands of dollars for lower-income ratepayers.

Car buyers can also take advantage of up to $7,500 in upfront federal incentives to buy an EV. These incentives can be used to lower the sticker price and don’t require that the buyer get a tax credit.

• The Clean Car Standard will force automakers to make better cars with longer ranges through technology standards.

  • Electric vehicles are continuously extending their range, with the longest now exceeding 500 miles.

• People who can charge their EV at home very rarely need to use a public charger, but just plug in their vehicle every night and wake up with a fully fueled vehicle.

• Chargers are rapidly growing in availability, and they are getting faster and faster.

• Plug-in hybrids are also supported in these standards and are a great solution for those who want to take longer drives, using the electric battery for the first 30 to 50 miles before switching to gas. Most people with plug-in hybrids rarely need to use gas because daily driving tends to be less than 30 miles.

• Getting more EVs on the grid pushes electric rates down, saving households and businesses money – even if they don’t own an EV. Here is how charging electric cars and trucks saves everyone money on their electricity bills:

  • electricity rates that encourage EV drivers to charge their cars and trucks when the demand for electricity overall is low (e.g. overnight) or when renewable electricity supply exceeds demand (e.g. wind power in the evening or solar mid-day) results in EV drivers using electricity when generation (supply) is high but use (demand) is low. This means more efficient use of the electricity grid. Additionally, EVs create more revenue than associated costs, meaning everyone benefits from lowered electricity rates.

Advanced Clean Trucks standard

• Low-income communities and communities of color bear an unfair burden of medium and heavy-duty truck pollution, having suffered generations of systematic marginalization that forces frontline communities to live closer to warehouses, transit centers, and highways.

• New Mexico can generate $3.3 billion in public health, environmental, and economic benefits and avoid more than 28,000 respiratory illnesses by 2050 by transitioning to zero-emission electric trucks, according to a recent study by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

• In addition to the environmental and public health benefits, a report found that adopting the Clean Truck standards can lead to:

  • Significant fuel and maintenance cost savings for trucking companies

  • Lower electric bills for all consumers

  • Attract over $1.4 billion in investments for in-state infrastructure

• Many truck fleet operators want electric trucks, and the ACT rule will ensure that electric trucks are available for purchase in New Mexico. By gradually increasing the supply of zero-emission trucks and buses along a prescribed timeline, more private investments will be attracted to New Mexico.

  • Vehicle manufacturers and battery makers already plan to invest $210 billion into the US to support the electric vehicle transition.

• Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles—which range from delivery vans to garbage trucks to school buses to semi-trucks—have an outsized impact on air pollution.

• Despite making up only 10 percent of the vehicles on the road in New Mexico, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles contribute to 64 percent of NOx pollution, 58 percent of PM pollution, and 35 percent of transportation greenhouse gas emissions.

• “Frontline communities bear the brunt of diesel truck pollution. Adopting Clean Truck Rules is an essential step towards protecting people and ensuring that all communities can breathe clean air,” said Oriana Sandoval, CEO of the Center for Civic Policy. “New Mexico must act this year to join the growing number of states leading the way on this critical issue.”

• “From small biz & big fleets to consumers & workers, the Clean Truck rule boosts the economy for all NMs while creating a cleaner & healthier future for the state,” said Susan Nedell, Mountain West Advocate at E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs)

Advanced Clean Cars II standard

• For 2035: New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham is ramping up electric vehicles, cleaning up the air and growing jobs with Advanced Clean Cars II program. A new study shows full adoption can deliver $44 billion in climate and economic benefits to New Mexicans. Learn more in a recent study by NRDC, Sierra Club, and Western Resource Advocates here.

• For 2035: Strong sales standards that help create market certainty for technologies can help bring jobs to hard-hit communities while addressing the state’s biggest barrier to EV adoption.

  • Strong policy signals like the full ACC II standard can help catalyze the public investments we need to create good, permanent, clean economy jobs.

  • As a strong policy signal, ACC II will require auto manufacturers to prioritize delivering these vehicles to states that have adopted the regulation.

  • Investments in equitable clean transportation programs will create jobs across the economy and paying less at the pump will also help free up spending for families so they can support their local economies, particularly in the hard-hit service industry.

• Low-income communities and communities of color bear an especially unfair burden of fuel costs and harmful pollution. Families on a budget spend as much as 20% of their income on fuel, and that percentage spikes when gas prices spike.

• Adopting Clean Cars will ensure that car manufacturers accelerate their production of pollution-free cars, cutting pollution in frontline communities.

• More new clean EVs means more used clean EVs – and getting these clean vehicles in the hands of people who need them is critical.