Passaic Today

The ownership of Tri County Lexus said Electric Vehicle (EV) mandates adopted by New Jersey are unrealistic, artificial, and eliminate consumer choice.

“On behalf of our customers, we wholeheartedly support your promise to give back to the American people the choice of what car they can buy,” said a letter sent to Trump by Tri County Lexus and 155 other New Jersey dealerships. “We ask that in addition to addressing the EPA’s de facto battery electric vehicle mandate, you also take away the power of 14 bureaucrats in California to dictate to American consumers that in less than a decade, the only car or truck they can buy will be a battery electric vehicle.”

“Let the consumer decide and a free market reign,” said the letter. “Let the automobile manufacturers and dealers compete on the quality of their product and service to customers – as opposed to selling based on artificial mandates. This will lead to more choices and more affordable options.”

The letter referenced a regulation adopted by the California Air Resource Board (CARB), which the dealership said “mandates one in three vehicles sold this time next year be battery electric.”

That regulation has been adopted by 11 other states, including Massachusetts, New York, New Mexico, Maryland, Vermont, Delaware, Rhode Island, Oregon, Colorado, and Washington.

According to a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released in February 2024, half of New Jersey residents oppose the state's plan to phase out the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Many residents express concerns about the financial implications of the mandate on both personal and state levels. The poll indicates that more than half of respondents are unlikely to consider purchasing an electric vehicle, citing costs and infrastructure concerns.

Despite government incentives and subsidies, electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for only 8.1% of total new car sales in the U.S. in 2024. According to AP News, this indicates that a significant majority of consumers continue to prefer internal combustion engine vehicles due to factors such as higher upfront costs, limited driving range, and insufficient charging infrastructure.

A white paper by Affordable Energy for New Jersey estimates that the state's electric vehicle mandate will cost taxpayers approximately $70.5 billion by 2035. This figure includes expenses related to state rebates, lost sales and gas tax revenues, and the development of charging infrastructure. The report suggests that these costs could amount to over $7,600 for each of New Jersey's 9.2 million residents.