New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has vetoed a bill that aimed to replace all of the state’s fleet vehicles with zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) to the extent feasible and practical by 2041.
Senate Bill 275 would require all passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks to be ZEVs by 2026 and all new vehicles with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 10,000 lbs. would be required to be ZEVs by 2031. All other vehicles will have to be ZEVs by 2041, as feasible.
The bill defines ZEVs as those powered by electricity or hydrogen fuel cells, and would apply to automobiles, trucks, vans, and buses but not construction equipment, boats, ATVs, or other motor vehicles not primarily operated for travel on roads and highways.
Governor Sununu rejected the bill due to the costs required — the bill estimates that conversion to ZEVs would cost $28 million:
Vehicle Type / Class | Quantity | FY 2019 Average State Contract Price | Estimated EV* Equivalent Cost | Difference | Incremental Cost to Convert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Passenger Autos | 760 | $17,149 | $22,808 | $5,659 | $4,300,969 |
Extra Heavy Duty Trucks | 95 | $125,000 | $166,250 | $41,250 | $3,918,750 |
Heavy Duty Trucks | 322 | $85,000 | $113,050 | $28,050 | $9,032,100 |
Light Duty Trucks 1 | 634 | $25,999 | $34,579 | $8,580 | $5,439,511 |
Light Duty Trucks 2 | 393 | $26,702 | $35,514 | $8,812 | $3,462,982 |
Medium Duty Trucks | 173 | $33,510 | $44,568 | $11,058 | $1,913,086 |
Vans & Buses | 19 | $26,319 | $35,004 | $8,685 | $165,020 |
Totals: | 2,396 | $28,232,418 |
The estimated EV equivalent cost is based on the assumption that an average EV cost is 33% higher than the price of internal combustion vehicles comparable to those in the existing state fleet. The 33% average is based on a comparison of Nissan Leaf pricing for each model year from 2016 to 2019 with pricing for the lowest cost midsize gasoline fuel sedan for the same year.
“The State of New Hampshire is already making great strides in this and should not set arbitrary deadlines that will unnecessarily drive up taxpayer costs,” Sununu said in a statement.
