Schumer proposes 100% clean cars by 2040

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has a vision for the year 2040 – one that involves 100% of vehicles on the road being zero-emission, “clean” vehicles like electric cars. The New York congressman outlined his plan in an op-ed in The New York Times on Thursday, detailing a three-pronged approach involving discounts for trading in gas guzzlers for electric cars, grants to cities and states to build more charging stations and other necessary infrastructure, and grants to re-tool manufacturing plants for electric vehicle production. All together, the plan estimates a cost of $454 billion over 10 years. “My plan is estimated to create tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs in this country and should re-establish the United States as the world leader in auto manufacturing,” Schumer wrote.

But some have already criticized the plan as misguided as cities attempt to cut down on personal usage of all vehicles, whether gas- or electric-powered, arguing that car ownership in general undermines transit. 

While use of electric vehicles in the world continues to rise, there are still hurdles to more regular usage, including a lack of charging stations and the need for frequent charging stops on long journeys. New York state’s own initiative, Charge NY, aims to accommodate one million electric vehicles by 2025.

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