NM can lead the charge on EV infrastructure
Transportation is an ever-evolving industry. A century ago, most people didn’t own a car and had never flown on an airplane. Twenty-five years ago, hybrid and electric vehicles were still a novel concept for most Americans.
Things certainly look quite different today. As an attorney specializing in aviation and space law and the chair of the New Mexico House of Representatives’ Transportation, Public Works & Capital Improvements Committee, I can tell you things will also look quite different another 25 years from now, particularly here in our home state.
Right now, New Mexico is a leader in transportation innovation — we are welcoming a burgeoning space tourism industry, paving the way for autonomous cars and trucks, and critically — working hard to make electric vehicles (EVs) more accessible to everyday New Mexicans.
Since I joined the House of Representatives in 2019, New Mexico has passed key legislation to establish important EV infrastructure, modernize our energy grid to support them, and make New Mexico a great place to own electric vehicles.
We’ve enabled utility investments to support the creation of reliable charging infrastructure and removed regulatory barriers that inhibited investments by independent companies.
Thanks to these efforts, we now have 500 EV chargers in place across the state. The New York Times even spotlighted
New Mexico as one of the best places in the country for an EV road trip.
But our work is far from over. This month’s announcement from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to implement new vehicle emissions regulations is the latest step in our journey to make
EVs more accessible and reduce New Mexico’s carbon footprint.
The state has $38 million in federal funds incoming to further build out our EV infrastructure, in addition to tens of millions more in proposed investor funding. And we are uniquely positioned to make efficient use of these dollars due to our designated Alternative Fuel Corridors along major thoroughfares including I-25, I-10, US-70, and US-285.
Future plans for New Mexico’s charging grid infrastructure for electric vehicles are the focus of the upcoming September meeting of the Legislature’s Transportation Infrastructure Revenue Interim Subcommittee. I encourage you to join us or virtually tune in to the meeting to learn about the great progress being made by our state.
Transportation is foundational to our society, economy, and way of life. It enables us to access essential goods and services and remain connected with our communities. We’ve come a long way since the transportation revolution, but the evolution of the industry is only just beginning.
Thanks to smart, forward-looking planning by our state leaders and the incoming funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, New Mexico is well-positioned to keep leading the EV charge.
It is through these investments that we can continue to grow New Mexico’s infrastructure and economy while protecting the incredible Land of the Enchantment for the next generation of New Mexicans by staying on course to a cleaner, greener future.