New Jersey
Electric vehicle mandate puts N.J. consumers in impossible position | Opinion
Opinion: With inadequate charging infrastructure and declining federal support, New Jersey’s ambitious EV sales requirements threaten to worsen affordability crisis and limit consumer choice.John Kuntz, cleveland. com
By Michael Egenton
The federal government is on a path to completely upend the entire global auto industry with tariffs and sweeping policy changes that reverse years of climate investments.
The electric vehicle (EV) sector will be hit hard if the federal government rescinds tax credits for consumers and continues stopping investment in charging infrastructure around the country. A growing sector that saw more consumers choosing EVs now faces mounting uncertainty moving forward, as does the path to achieving our state’s climate goals.
This context cannot be ignored as Gov. Phil Murphy and state legislators discuss the future of climate policy and what these changes will mean for consumer prices and choice.
As a lifelong New Jerseyan, I take pride in supporting our climate ambitions, but we need to be practical when turning these aspirations into policy solutions.
Several years ago, the state adopted California’s Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) standards in an entirely different environment and if it is enforced as written, it will almost certainly exacerbate the affordability crisis consumers and families are already experiencing.
In 2024, only about one in seven new cars sold in New Jersey was electric. Under the ZEV mandate, electric vehicle sales must reach at least 43% by model year 2027 and 100% by 2035.
This means that for every 10 cars available to consumers on a dealer lot, four must be electric in 2027, and every one must be electric by 2035.
While this is a good goal to set, it fails to consider changing economic circumstances, consumer demand, and the state of our charging infrastructure.
All parties working towards these goals need more flexibility in how to achieve them, not a rigid mandate and harsh penalties.
This mandate will fundamentally change the car-buying experience, as consumers will have fewer choices for cars that fit their needs and budget.
Additionally, with fewer gas-powered cars on dealer lots, many buyers will turn to the used car market, driving prices up in a way similar to the COVID-19 pandemic and making car ownership even less attainable.
ACC II would make sense if the goal were to merely increase the availability of EVs, but the primary obstacle to a real and sustainable transition to EV adoption isn’t supply – it’s demand, which is impacted by the fact that our infrastructure is not ready to take on such an ambitious mandate.
Recent studies have shown that consumer demand for EVs is not yet where it needs to be to hit the 43% threshold. Without adequate charging access, purchasing an EV is simply impractical for some, especially for people in rural and low-income communities where charging stations are even scarcer.
While EV demand and state-level investment in the necessary infrastructure are generally increasing, the progress ultimately falls short in this moment relative to the ACC II targets. In fact, New Jersey ranked worst in the nation in terms of the ratio of charging stations to registered EVs.
Instead of fostering a natural transition to EVs, the mandate will effectively force consumers to choose an EV over a gas-powered car even if it does not make sense for their needs or budget.
Additionally, the limited availability of new gas-powered cars will inflate demand and spike prices in the used car market. Ultimately, consumers will be forced to purchase more expensive vehicles at a time when the cost of living is already forcing families to make tough choices about everyday needs.
This will push people to buy cars out of state so they can choose the car they want and avoid higher prices, undercutting New Jersey’s auto market and threatening local jobs.
Recognizing these very issues with the ACC II mandate and aiming to protect Maryland consumers from increased costs, Maryland Governor Wes Moore just issued an executive order delaying penalties for auto manufacturers for model years 2027 and 2028. New Jersey must follow suit to prevent the affordability crisis in the state from worsening.
While it is important to remain committed to our climate goals, a successful transition to clean transportation requires thoughtful, pragmatic policy and adequate time to build infrastructure and center consumer choice. We have an opportunity to move toward a cleaner, stronger future the right and responsible way, but without delaying ACC II’s implementation, our state’s consumers will bear the costs.
Calling your elected representative in the state Assembly or Senate is the most effective way to influence policy. To find your state Assemblymember and Senator to voice your position, go to the New Jersey Legislature website’s Legislative Roster.
Michael Egenton is executive vice president of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.
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It’s been nearly a decade and a half since the Brooklyn Nets moved out of New Jersey.
The organization has completely revamped its vibe since switching states, ditching the red, white and blue look for a very basic black and white colorway.
The Nets have also intermittently changed the colors of the banners hanging up in the Barclays Center from red, white and blue to black and white, much to the chagrin of traditional Nets fans.
Despite the Nets now playing in a bigger market and being far removed from their days in the Garden State, some fans seem to hope for the Nets to make their return across the river. New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill was asked about the matter.
“I mean, would I support it? I ask about it all the time,” Sherrill said. “I love the idea. So, I have been pressing for that. I haven’t made a lot of headway yet; you know, maybe in my second 100 days.
“But I do think there is some work being done for some — I don’t know if I’m allowed to say too much about it — but some people are working on some different sports coming into the Rock.”
As time went on, the Nets eventually started to embrace more of their New Jersey roots, which started when they rocked a clean tie-dye jersey from the 90s during the 2020-21 season.
The next season, the Nets followed it up with uniforms commemorating their run in the 2000s, when the team got to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 and endlessly broke the ESPN top 10 with each crazy Jason Kidd assist and Vince Carter dunk.
It’s fitting that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the latter of whom grew up in New Jersey as a Nets fan, got to rock these uniforms, helping boost the popularity of the New Jersey brand to a wide array of fans.
True Nets fans embraced the Continental Airlines Arena/Izod Center and the swamps of East Rutherford, getting to witness a winning basketball team for a fraction of the cost of the team mired in dysfunction that happened to play their home games at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
Not many marquee free agents would have signed up to play in New Jersey, but real fans remember the good times in the swamps, especially with Sly the Fox as the team’s mascot. Those times deserve to be remembered properly.
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ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. (WPVI) — Drivers heading to the shore on Friday afternoon saw slow-moving traffic for several miles coming off the Walt Whitman bridge, but many travelers said the start of the holiday weekend was smoother than they anticipated.
Aldara Madden, who was traveling with her friend Elana Maser, said the trip moved faster than she expected.
“I was expecting it to take a lot longer,” she said.
Maser added that they left school early to avoid delays.
“My mom and I do that every year and then we always stop here as our little pre-down the shore,” she said.
Others shared similar experiences.
“I’m coming from Bucks County, so I was worried there was gonna be some traffic but it really wasn’t bad at all,” said Erin McFadden of Churchville, who was headed to Ocean City.
AAA reported that while slightly more people are traveling by car this year compared to last, 2026 is projected to have the lowest year-over-year travel growth rate in more than a decade, excluding the steep drop seen in 2020 during the pandemic.
The organization attributes the slowdown largely to concerns over rising prices.
“Gas is ridiculously expensive and I think all the time before going anywhere these days,” said Debbie Maser of Philadelphia. “But this is our happy place and nothing can keep us away.”
A dreary weekend forecast may also be influencing travel patterns.
“I was thinking that, I wonder if there’ll be less congestion on the roads because of the weather,” said Kyra Wolin of Massachusetts. “It’s not looking to be too good this weekend with the rain.”
Still, many shore-bound travelers said tradition outweighs any concerns about rain or crowds.
“No not at all. You go down. You get it done,” said George Miller of Lansdale.
Eric Wolin of Massachusetts agreed: “Never, never. Margate’s a special place for us.”
As the unofficial start of summer begins, travelers said they remain committed to kicking off the season in their favorite spots, not letting rain, traffic, or high prices keep them away.
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This story is part of the WHYY News Climate Desk, bringing you news and solutions for our changing region.
From the Poconos to the Jersey Shore to the mouth of the Delaware Bay, what do you want to know about climate change? What would you like us to cover? Get in touch.
As summer begins, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is urging residents to limit lawn watering, and hand water flowers and shrubs as a drought warning continues. The warning, in place since December 2025, could turn into a drought emergency if conditions do not improve. The state has suffered eight consecutive months of below-normal rainfall, according to officials.
“New Jersey is experiencing a chronic water supply drought, the scale of which we haven’t seen in more than twenty years,” state geologist Steven Domber said in a statement issued earlier this month. “The indicators that we track closely are showing persistently dry conditions. With uncertainty for rainfall in the coming months, we need residents to conserve water today, to ensure we have enough to sustain our needs over the summer.”
The Department of Environmental Protection uses a variety of indicators to determine drought levels, including precipitation, stream flows, reservoir levels, ground water levels and demand.
In addition to the last two months, officials say, the state “experienced below normal precipitation for 20 of the last 24 months since September 2024,” despite heavy snowfall events this past winter that helped restore reservoirs in North Jersey.
“While we saw a little relief over the winter, New Jersey is feeling the effects of nearly two years of below-normal precipitation,” Sherrill said in a statement earlier this month. She urged residents to voluntarily conserve water.
New Jersey state climatologist David Robinson said that since precipitation has been below normal for most of the last 24 months, the recent winter weather did not provide enough water to help restore streams and groundwater.
Should a drought emergency be declared, mandatory water restrictions would be put in place. The last drought emergency lasted almost a year, between March 2002 and January 2003.
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