New Jersey will require all new car sales to be electric by 2035 with some requirements starting in 2026 as part of a series of new regulations, an administrative official in Gov. Phil Murphy’s office confirmed to NJ Advance Media on Monday.
The rule that will make the mandate possible will be filed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday, officials in the governor’s office added.
The filing of “Advanced Clean Cars II” before a deadline that was looming Wednesday will mean car makers must start to follow some zero emission vehicle requirements, beginning with light duty cars in model year 2027 — the ones that hit the market in 2026.
An official in the governor’s office did not comment further but more information on how the rule will impact drivers is expected Tuesday.
Still, the rule follows California’s lead — requiring manufacturers that make cars, light trucks and SUVs to fill more and more of their fleets with electric options over several years until reaching 100% zero-emission vehicles in just over a decade.
The rule will require 51% of all new car sales to be electric in 2027.
“Our state needs to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution and after this announcement, we are no longer sitting in the slow lane while other states pass us by on clean energy,” said Alex Ambrose, the transportation and climate policy analyst for New Jersey Policy Perspective.
Transportation emissions, Ambrose highlighted, have been on the rise since 2020 and account for 35% of greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey — the most of any sector.
The latest clean energy rule, dubbed ACCII, followed a roller coaster two months for the state and Murphy, a Democrat, after the world’s largest offshore wind developer at the end of October suddenly did an about-face on what would have been New Jersey’s first ocean wind farm.
ACCII is an administrative rule, not a law, and thus does not need to be approved by the state Legislature….
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