Automakers seeking to delay the implementation of requirements for them to offer large numbers of electric vehicles (EVs) in California are gearing up for a Jan. 25 California Air Resources Board (CARB) hearing on the state’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate. As part of their efforts, through their lobbying group, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM), automakers have released further details on a plan they claim would give a “fair market test” for EVs. In exchange for postponing the 2003 ZEV rules, the automakers propose to set up a foundation to designate one specific geographic area where EV sales, marketing, advertising and public education efforts would be conducted. The automakers say they will provide about 2,500 EVs for sale or lease, including about 500 standard-size EVs, 750 smaller “city” EVs, and 1,250 low-speed, golf cart-like “neighborhood” EVs. According to an AAM press release, the “fair market test” would be limited to a “specific geographic area and time.” The AAM says it would contribute $15 million per year to the foundation to cover “administrative expenses, advertising, education programs and infrastructure development” as a way to determine “if there is a consumer demand for EVs.”