ACCELERATING CLEAN, ELECTRIFIED TRANSPORTATION BY 2035: POLICY PRIORITIES

The report outlines a strategic policy framework to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S., aiming for 100% new EV sales by 2030-2035. It emphasizes the need for strong national fuel economy and emissions standards, equity-focused incentives, expanded charging infrastructure, and the growth of domestic battery and vehicle manufacturing. The document also details technical and regulatory requirements for grid integration, including streamlined interconnection, updated building codes, and smart electricity rate designs to ensure a reliable and equitable energy transition.

• The 'DRIVE Clean Scenario', which targets 100 percent EV sales by 2030-2035 and a 90 percent clean electricity grid by 2035, is projected to generate $2.7 trillion in consumer cost savings and avoid 150,000 premature deaths through 2050.
• The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, making its decarbonization essential for economy-wide goals by 2050.
• Strong national fuel economy (CAFE) and tailpipe emissions standards are identified as the highest priority policies for reducing emissions and driving market transformation.
• To ensure an equitable transition, policies must prioritize pollution reductions in frontline and underserved communities, specifically targeting particulate emissions from trucks and buses.
• Current federal tax credits for EVs should be reformed into point-of-sale rebates, expanded to include medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, and scaled based on income to benefit low- and moderate-income consumers.
• Expanding charging infrastructure requires addressing the 'chicken-and-egg' scenario in low-EV density areas, with a specific need for 'make-ready' investments in multi-unit dwellings (MUDs).
• The U.S. needs a comprehensive industrial strategy, including a 30 percent Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for domestic battery manufacturing and a federal transportation infrastructure stimulus package, to remain globally competitive.
• Grid deployment can be streamlined by adopting statewide interconnection best practices and implementing hosting capacity analyses (HCAs) to identify optimal locations for charging infrastructure.
• Updating building codes to be 'EV-ready' during new construction is significantly more cost-effective than retrofitting existing buildings, which can be nearly four times more expensive.
• Smart rate design, specifically time-varying rates (TVR), is recommended to reward customers for charging during off-peak hours and to minimize grid stress.
• High demand charges for direct current fast charging (DCFC) create a financial barrier for electric truck operators; the report suggests rate reforms to remove or mitigate these charges.

APA

Baldwin, S., Myers, A., O’Boyle, M., & Wooley, D. (2021). ACCELERATING CLEAN, ELECTRIFIED TRANSPORTATION BY 2035: POLICY PRIORITIES. Energy Innovation. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Energy-Innovation_2035-2.0-Accelerating-Clean-Transportation-Policy-Report-2.pdf

Chicago

Baldwin, Sara, Amanda Myers, Michael O’Boyle, and David Wooley. ACCELERATING CLEAN, ELECTRIFIED TRANSPORTATION BY 2035: POLICY PRIORITIES. Energy Innovation, 2021. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Energy-Innovation_2035-2.0-Accelerating-Clean-Transportation-Policy-Report-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Baldwin |first1=Sara |last2=Myers |first2=Amanda |last3=O’Boyle |first3=Michael |last4=Wooley |first4=David |title=ACCELERATING CLEAN, ELECTRIFIED TRANSPORTATION BY 2035: POLICY PRIORITIES |publisher=Energy Innovation |date=April 2021 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Energy-Innovation_2035-2.0-Accelerating-Clean-Transportation-Policy-Report-2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{baldwin2021accelerating, author = {Baldwin, Sara and Myers, Amanda and O’Boyle, Michael and Wooley, David}, title = {{ACCELERATING CLEAN, ELECTRIFIED TRANSPORTATION BY 2035: POLICY PRIORITIES}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Energy-Innovation_2035-2.0-Accelerating-Clean-Transportation-Policy-Report-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }