New Jersey Joins Multi-State Push for Affordable Clean Cars Through New Governors Coalition

The Affordable Clean Cars Coalition aims to expand consumer access to cleaner vehicles, protect state clean air authority, and support U.S. automotive innovation.

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey has joined ten other states in a newly launched initiative called the Affordable Clean Cars Coalition, an effort announced this week by the U.S. Climate Alliance to bolster Americans’ access to cleaner, more affordable vehicles while preserving longstanding state authority under the Clean Air Act.

The coalition, composed of governors from California, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington, is designed to support the transition to clean vehicles by developing shared solutions that lower costs, increase accessibility, and expand clean transportation infrastructure.

Spearheaded through the U.S. Climate Alliance—a bipartisan group representing 24 governors and over half of the U.S. population—the coalition emphasizes regulatory stability for the automotive sector in response to recent federal actions that state leaders say have disrupted investment in clean transportation. These actions include proposed cuts to electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure funding, proposed tariffs, elimination of EV tax credits, and efforts to weaken or dismantle state-based clean vehicle programs.

Governors Gavin Newsom (CA), Jared Polis (CO), Matt Meyer (DE), Wes Moore (MD), Maura Healey (MA), Phil Murphy (NJ), Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM), Kathy Hochul (NY), Tina Kotek (OR), Dan McKee (RI), and Bob Ferguson (WA) issued the following statement on the initiative’s launch:

“The federal government and Congress are putting polluters over people and creating needless chaos for consumers and the market, but our commitment to safeguarding Americans’ fundamental right to clean air is resolute. We will continue collaborating as states and leveraging our longstanding authority under the Clean Air Act, including through state programs that keep communities safe from pollution, create good-paying jobs, increase consumer choice, and help Americans access cleaner and more affordable cars. As we consider next steps for our clean vehicle programs, our states will engage stakeholders and industry to provide the regulatory certainty needed while redoubling our efforts to build a cleaner and healthier future.”

The coalition’s objectives include:

• Making clean vehicles more accessible by reducing purchase costs, improving model availability, and expanding charging and fueling infrastructure.

• Sustaining state-led clean vehicle programs, which are authorized under the Clean Air Act and have been in effect for nearly five decades.

• Exploring next-generation standards to further reduce emissions and expand consumer access to clean vehicle technologies and fuels.

• Facilitating multi-state collaboration to share evidence-based practices, engage industry stakeholders, and develop policies that could serve as national models.

The announcement comes amid a surge in clean vehicle sales in the U.S., which have more than quadrupled since 2020. Today, consumers can choose from over 100 clean vehicle models, with expanded charging infrastructure and projected fuel savings averaging $1,200 per year — or $10,000 over a vehicle’s lifespan.

The coalition builds on earlier collaborative efforts such as the Nation’s Clean Car Promise and various zero-emission vehicle memoranda of understanding. Member states will tailor their programs to local needs while contributing to shared regional and national goals.

More information about the Affordable Clean Cars Coalition and the U.S. Climate Alliance’s initiatives is available at www.usclimatealliance.org.