Around New England

Massachusetts To Ban Sale of New Gas-Powered Cars By 2035, Governor Says

January 2, 2021

Want to buy a new car in Massachusetts that uses gasoline?

The years to do that are officially numbered.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has released a plan as part of a roadmap to get the state to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 that includes requiring all new cars sold in the state by 2035 to be powered by electricity.

“The people of Massachusetts are experiencing record droughts, increased risk of wildfire, severe weather, and flooding in our coastal communities,” Baker, a Republican, said in a press release on Wednesday, December 30, according to The Fourth Revolution. “The costly impacts of climate change are on display in the Commonwealth, making it critical that we take action.”

As of June 2019, the average cost of a new car in the United States was $36,600, according to Car and Driver. For an electric car, that figure was $55,600, although it decreased 13.4 percent from the year before.