Maryland is the latest state to join the ban on the sale of ICE vehicles after 2035, Maryland’s Governor Wes Moore (D) said in a statement on March 13. Moore said the state has adopted the Advanced Clean Cars II rule — what he describes as a major step to improve air quality in the state and combat the effects of climate change.
The Advanced Clean Cars II rule, first implemented in California last year under a provision of the federal Clean Air Act, allows states to impose strict standards on vehicles. Those standards apply only to passenger car and light truck sales and are not retroactive to existing cars or to used car sales.
“Today, we’re talking about a major transformation that is going to define this administration—and that’s how we turn Maryland from a state powered by oil and gas to a state powered by clean energy,” said Moore. “I am confident that the state of Maryland can and will lead the clean energy revolution.”
Prior to the outright ban of fossil fuel-powered vehicle sales, the Advanced Clear Cars II rule requires auto manufacturers to continuously increase the share of electric vehicles they sell to reach 100% by 2035.
According to a Maryland Department of the Environment analysis, 383,000 fewer new gas-powered vehicles would be sold under the new rule by 2030, rising to 1.68 million fewer conventional vehicles by 2035.
Critics of such bans note that America’s infrastructure is not yet prepared. America’s electric grids likely need significant upgrades to handle most Americans driving electric cars — a complex process involving dozens of companies and coordination between state and federal governments. Toyota Motor chief Akio Toyoda, for example, has stated that “People involved in the auto industry are largely a silent majority. That silent majority is wondering whether EVs are really OK to have as a single option. But they think it’s the trend so they can’t speak out loudly.”
Toyoda’s remarks came as supply chain issues that were sparked by the coronavirus pandemic have continued to make it difficult for manufacturers to get the raw materials needed to make new cars, especially electric vehicles.
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