Washington Voters Support Full Transition to Electric Cars by 2030

SEATTLE, Oct. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new poll from Yale University, George Mason University and Climate Nexus, and commissioned by the nonprofit Coltura, finds 59 percent of Washington voters support a policy requiring new cars in Washington state to be electric starting in 2030.

By a margin of more than 12-to-1, voters believe ending the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in 2030 would have a positive effect on climate change (75% to 6%) and would benefit the health of people in the state (73% to 5%). 

"Requiring that new vehicles be electric by 2030 will result in sharp reductions of carbon emissions and air pollution, and put Washington state on the road to powering its vehicles with cheap, clean, renewable electricity produced in Washington," said Matthew Metz, co-executive director of Coltura. "It achieves these goals with minimal government spending by creating large, guaranteed EV markets that will incentivize the private sector to invest in EVs and charging."

Last year, Coltura supported the Clean Cars 2030 bill sponsored by Washington State Representative Nicole Macri (D-Seattle) providing that model-year 2030 and later vehicles must be electric to be registered in Washington. Rep. Macri said, "Washingtonians want to accelerate the switch to clean vehicles as fast as possible, and my bill will help the state lead the nation in this direction."

"A large majority of Washingtonians are worried about climate change, and they understand the impact it is having on extreme weather, including recent wildfires," said Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. "Washington voters support policies like requiring all new cars to be electric by 2030 that will address climate change."

Providing a 2030 sunset date to sales of new fossil fuel vehicles will allow utilities, automakers, and landlords to prepare for a smooth off-ramp from dependence on fossil fuels. 

Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the Golden State will be shifting to 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2035.  This survey represents the first public opinion polling on policies that would phase out gasoline-powered vehicles.

Climate Nexus Polling, in partnership with the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, conducted a representative survey of 812 registered voters in Washington state September 15-29, 2020, with an oversample of 100 voters contacted by phone in state senate districts 3, 5, and 44 (total N=300 interviewed by phone) on September 24-28, 2020.  The total N-size for the mixed mode sample is N=1,112 registered voters. The margin of error for the representative online sample is approximately +/- 3.5%. The poll was sponsored by the state advocacy non-profit Coltura. You can access the toplines here

Coltura is a west-coast based nonprofit improving climate, health and equity by accelerating the switch from gasoline and diesel to cleaner alternatives. Coltura focuses on changing gasoline supply, gasoline demand, and gasoline culture through innovative legal and policy pathways, media, and art.

Contact: Matthew Metz; (206) 799-2795
[email protected]

SOURCE Coltura