Denver, Co. — Coloradans deserve cleaner air and more options for electric vehicles (EVs), and Consumer Reports, the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, applauds Governor Jared Polis’ announcement that the state will continue to move forward with a public rulemaking process to consider adopting a Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program.
Nearly 500 members of Consumer Reports who live in Colorado emailed the governor this past month, urging him to stand strong in his commitment to a Zero-Emission Vehicle standard and reject an offer by an automotive lobby organization that would have undermined the transparency and effectiveness of the program. Now that Governor Polis has reaffirmed his commitment to moving forward with the standard, Consumer Reports and its members in Colorado look forward to seeing automobile manufacturers work constructively with state regulators to expand consumer access to electric vehicles, which are cheaper to fuel and maintain than gas-fueled alternatives, and also help to reduce smog and carbon pollution.
Consumer Reports sent a letter to Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission last month urging commissioners to move forward with plans to have a public hearing in August. In addition to detailing how the ZEV mandate is an essential part of Governor Polis’s clean air agenda, the letter from Consumer Reports also urges auto dealerships to follow through on their offer to voluntarily increase marketing efforts about EVs, increase availability of EVs at local dealerships, and make the EV state purchase incentives available to buyers upfront.
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Media contact: Adam Winer, adam.winer@consumer.org