Bid to thwart EV mandate in N.M. hits roadblock

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Mandates for auto dealers to provide an increasing number of electric vehicles for sale across New Mexico will remain in place as state regulators on Friday denied an effort to derail implementation of the new rules pending a legal challenge.

Members of the state Environmental Improvement Board voted 4-1 after deliberating behind closed doors, marking a setback to the New Mexico Automotive Dealers Association as it pursues its challenge before the state Court of Appeals.

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has been pushing for more electric vehicles in the state, saying doing so will curb emissions and help address climate change.

The state has adopted more stringent standards for vehicle emissions and established the mandates for inventories of zero-emission vehicles, winning praise from environmentalists.

But local auto dealers and others, including Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, are concerned that the mandates will have negative effects particularly for rural communities that lack electric vehicle charging infrastructure. They also have argued that affordability is an issue for consumers.

Republicans in the legislative minority also have criticized the governor’s plans as impractical, citing the range that many people have to drive in New Mexico — which is the fifth largest state in the U.S..

Starting in 2026, 43 percent of all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks shipped to New Mexico auto dealerships by national auto manufacturers must be zero-emission vehicles. The rules also call for 15 percent of all new commercial heavy-duty trucks to be zero-emission vehicles.

By 2032, four out of every five passenger cars shipped to the state by manufacturers must have zero emissions.