Hundreds Turn Out for EV Mandate Sales Meeting in Georgetown

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Sussex County residents at the EV Mandate meeting at Sussex Central High School / image courtesy Walt Palmer
41st District Representative Rich Collins addresses Sussex County residents at the EV Mandate meeting Monday night in Georgetown / image courtesy Walt Palmer

A crowd of about 500 Sussex County residents and politicians gathered Monday night at Sussex Central High School in Georgetown to hear information on Delaware’s Electric Vehicle Sales mandate. This meeting was sponsored by the Delaware House & Senate Republicans. This mandate, which has been proposed by DNREC, would begin the phase out of gasoline and diesel powered cars, trucks and SUVs in Delaware. If this Electric Vehicle mandate is adopted – 35% of new cars and light trucks sold in 2026 would be electric – with 100% of all new vehicles to be electric powered by 2035. Several public workshop meetings have been held throughout the state and comments from the public on the mandate will be accepted through this Friday. During Monday night’s meeting State Representative Rich Collins led a discussion of the regulations that are being proposed by the State to reduce the use of fossil fuel vehicles over the next 12 years. Residents also addressed the crowd and were able to put their comments on the EV mandate to paper. The comments from Monday night’s information session will be hand-delivered to DNREC.

If this mandate is approved, Delaware will use the Advanced Clean Car II standard that was adopted by California in 2022. According to information provided by DNREC for the virtual public hearing on the Zero-Emission vehicle sales mandate last month, Regulation 7 DE Admin. Code 1140 – Delaware’s Low Emission Vehicle Program would be updated with the adoption by reference of California’s ACCII low emission vehicle and greenhouse gas standards and set requirements for zero emitting vehicles for the model year 2027 and beyond. Section 177 of Delaware’s Clean Air Act requires the State standards must be “identical to the California standards.”

DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin is expected to rule on whether Delaware will use the ACCII standards adopted by California in 2022 by early summer of this year.

With just days left to comment – send your comments in written form by email to DNRECHearingComments@delaware.gov or by using and online form that can be accessed by clicking here (remember to choose the “Low Emission Vehicle Program” from the drop-down option for “What matter are you commenting on?”)

From California.gov –