Electric Vehicles

At a local elementary school on Tuesday, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich announced a $7 million federal investment in electric buses and charging stations for Albuquerque Public Schools.

The City of Albuquerque started piloting a “microtransit” program earlier this year, where rides can be requested in a couple dense areas that lack sufficient bus routes. The city rolled out new electric vans for the ABQ Ride Connect program Tuesday.

A package that has numerous climate tax credits including one for electric vehicles and charging stations passed the Senate Monday.

A comprehensive electric vehicle tax credit bill reached a stalemate in the House Taxation and Revenue committee Monday morning after members voted to temporarily table the legislation following a lengthy discussion of its merits.

The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to spend $5 billion dollars over the next five years to help school districts across the country purchase electric buses. In New Mexico, public health officials plan to push lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session for additional funds to help replace diesel school buses with electric vehicles.

For three days, stakeholders with the automotive industry and the state have been making their case to the state Environmental Improvement Board and the Albuquerque-Bernalillo Air Quality Control Board as to why New Mexico is or isn’t ready for a serious transition to EVs.

Next month, a joint hearing between the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board and the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board will be held to consider rules meant to speed up the transition from fossil fuels to electric vehicles.

Many climate scientists and researchers point to meaningful legislative action as the most effective path forward to both mitigate and adapt to a changing climate. New Mexico’s past legislative session had climate groups feeling hopeful –– but a series of line-item vetoes from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham left them disappointed.

Billions of dollars are now being pumped into electric vehicle infrastructure across the nation to address climate change and curb dependence on fossil fuels. New research from Sandia National Laboratories finds some of these new electric vehicle chargers have significant cybersecurity issues.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was in Albuquerque Wednesday meeting with tribal leaders to discuss infrastructure investments and road safety.