The vetoed bill would have required all state vehicles to be replaced by electric and hydrogen models. 
 -  Photo courtesy of Pixabay

The vetoed bill would have required all state vehicles to be replaced by electric and hydrogen models.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has vetoed a bill that aimed to replace all of the state’s fleet vehicles with zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) to the extent feasible and practical by 2041.

Senate Bill 275 would require all passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks to be ZEVs by 2026 and all new vehicles with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 10,000 lbs. would be required to be ZEVs by 2031. All other vehicles will have to be ZEVs by 2041, as feasible.

The bill defines ZEVs as those powered by electricity or hydrogen fuel cells, and would apply to automobiles, trucks, vans, and buses but not construction equipment, boats, ATVs, or other motor vehicles not primarily operated for travel on roads and highways.

Governor Sununu rejected the bill due to the costs required — the bill estimates that conversion to ZEVs would cost $28 million:

Vehicle Type / Class Quantity FY 2019 Average State Contract Price Estimated EV* Equivalent Cost Difference Incremental Cost to Convert
Passenger Autos 760 $17,149 $22,808 $5,659 $4,300,969
Extra Heavy Duty Trucks 95 $125,000 $166,250 $41,250 $3,918,750
Heavy Duty Trucks 322 $85,000 $113,050 $28,050 $9,032,100
Light Duty Trucks 1 634 $25,999 $34,579 $8,580 $5,439,511
Light Duty Trucks 2 393 $26,702 $35,514 $8,812 $3,462,982
Medium Duty Trucks 173 $33,510 $44,568 $11,058 $1,913,086
Vans & Buses 19 $26,319 $35,004 $8,685 $165,020
Totals: 2,396       $28,232,418


The estimated EV equivalent cost is based on the assumption that an average EV cost is 33% higher than the price of internal combustion vehicles comparable to those in the existing state fleet. The 33% average is based on a comparison of Nissan Leaf pricing for each model year from 2016 to 2019 with pricing for the lowest cost midsize gasoline fuel sedan for the same year.

“The State of New Hampshire is already making great strides in this and should not set arbitrary deadlines that will unnecessarily drive up taxpayer costs,” Sununu said in a statement.

Originally posted on Government Fleet

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