Politics & Government

O'Malley BLOG: Zero-Emission Vehicles

Eight governors announced a collaborative initiative to put 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025.

Here is the latest entry on the blog of Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley. The entire blog can be found here.

Yesterday, Governor O’Malley and governors from seven other states announced a groundbreaking collaborative initiative to put 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025.

These governors have joined forces to revolutionize the automobile market by promoting zero-emission vehicles that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and public health, enhance energy diversity, save consumers money, and contribute to economic growth.

In Maryland, we now have 430 public charging stations, and over the next two years, with State and private investments, Maryland expects to add an additional 150 to 200 new charging stations.

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There are two financial incentives available to expand our electric vehicle market:  a $1,000 excise tax credit for the purchase or lease of a plug-in electric vehicle, and a tax credit of up to $400 on the purchase and installation of an electric vehicle charging station.  And this year, we are making an additional $1 million capital investment for new charging stations at MARC and Metro Stations.

There are great economic advantages to zero-emission vehicles as well. Electricity is the most widely available source of power and typically costs about two-thirds less than gasoline on a per-mile basis. By 2025, the average zero-emission vehicle driver will save nearly $6,000 in fueling costs over the life of the car.

Find out what's happening in Elkridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Samuel K.Himmelrich Jr., owner of the Montgomery Park building where the Maryland Department of the Environment is located, was very excited to have two charging stations for electric vehicles installed.

“It is great to do anything to accommodate electric vehicles,” Himmelrich, an electric vehicle owner, said. “They are cheap to drive and better for the environment. It just makes a lot of sense.”

In Maryland, we will continue to invest in innovation, such as electric vehicle infrastructure, and harnessing sun and wind power to create jobs and expand opportunity now and in the future. We are making better choices by investing in these areas of opportunity and innovation in order to achieve better results and a cleaner, greener Maryland.


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