Seattle Electric Vehicle Assocation (SEVA)

Promoting electric vehicles through education, demonstration & advocacy since 1980

2020 Legislative News

  • Washington State has a number of incentives for electric vehicles thanks to forward-thinking legislators and the work of many SEVA members such as Jeff Finn who is pictured here charging his LEAF in front of the Capitol, Pictured with him is SEVA President Stephen Johnsen.

SEVA Legislative Action Alert List

Would you like to add your voice to support transportation electrification in Washington State? Would you like to receive alerts on Electric Vehicle related legislation in this upcoming session?

If so, then please send an email to  SEVA’s Legislative Agenda Coordinator JEFF FINN.
Please put “Legislative Action List” in the subject line and include the following information in the body:

Thank you for helping advance the adoption of Electric Vehicles in Washington!

2020 Legislative EV Bills:

  • Reducing emissions from on-demand transportation – HB2310 – Rep. Fitzgibbon – Requires companies scheduling rides or consumer food or goods deliveries through digital technology such as web pages or smartphone apps to provide data to create a baseline of their emissions, and to reduce them over time. (The bill exempts a variety of traditional transportation services like taxis and limousines, however.)
  • Carbon fee to fund transportation projects – SB5971 – Sen. Hobbs – Increases EV registration fee from $150 to $300, among many other fees. The bill would fill the funding shortfall left by the passage of Initiative 976, if is survives court challenges.
  • Electric bike tax exemption – HB 1986 – Rep. Shewmake – The bill creates a sales and use tax exemption for buyers of electric bicycles and related cycling equipment.
  • Tesla Sales – SB6082 – Sen. Carlyle – amends a current law that limits how manufacturers can discriminate among or compete with dealers to specify that its provisions don’t apply to any manufacturer of all-electric vehicles.
  • Phase out of gasoline cars – HB2515 – Rep. Macri – Directs the state transportation commission to develop a plan and rules to ensure that all 2030 model year and later passenger and light duty vehicles sold or registered in the state be electric, in a manner that minimizes costs and maximizes benefits for Washington’s economy, improves and modernizes Washington’s energy infrastructure, and maintains electric system reliability.

 

REINTRODUCED
 
  •  ZEV mandate – SB5811 – Sen. Nguyen – reintroduced Jan. 13 in same form as passed last year. Already approved in the Senate on Feb. 16. Companion bill HB1999 reintroduced in House. The bill removes the prohibition on adopting the California Zero Emission Vehicle standards from the current law authorizing Ecology to adopt the rest of California’s emissions standards. 01/15/20: PASSED!
  • Advancing Electric Transportation (Gov. Inslee’s bill) – SB5336 and HB1664 – Sen. Palumbo and Rep Slatter- reintroduced in same form as last year. In addition to the ZEV mandate, the bill requires all utilities to engage in electrifying transportation, and specifically authorizes them to build and promote charging infrastructure (as well as to invest in making energy infrastructure in general more efficient). It removes the requirement that their chargers must be in places where cars will plug in for at least four hours if they want to earn a rate of return on the investment. It authorizes cities with municipal utilities serving more than 400,000 customers to do as much as the Washington Constitution allows to provide financing to help customers electrify transportation, and to offer programs, services, and make investments to provide that, if that will benefit ratepayers and the city has adopted a plan for electrifying transportation.
  • Low Carbon Fuel Standard – SB5412 and HB1110- reintroduced Jan. 13 – Sen. Saldana and Rep. Fitzgibbon – Requires the Department of Ecology to create rules to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels used in Washington to 10% below 2017 levels by 2028 and to 20 percent below 2017 levels by 2035. (Fuels for aviation, shipping, and locomotives are exempted.)
  • Electrifying public vehicle fleets – HB1832 – Rep. Macri – reintroduced in same form as last year. Requires any 2023 model light duty vehicles or later ones that state agencies own or operate to be battery electrics or fuel cell vehicles. By 2026, a similar rule would apply to medium and heavy duty vehicles. Requires any 2025 model light duty vehicles or later ones that local governments own or operate to be battery electrics or fuel cell vehicles. By 2027, a similar rule would apply to medium and heavy duty vehicles.
  • Electric and Hybrid Airplanes – HB1397 – Rep. Slatter- Reintroduced in same form as last year. The bill requires the Department of Transportation to convene a work group on hybrid and electric regional aircraft, including representatives from the electric aircraft industry, the aircraft manufacturing industry, electric utility districts, the battery industry, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Transportation Aviation Division, the Airline Pilots’ Association, a primary airport representing an airport association, and the airline industry.
  • Registration Fee for Electric Motorcycles – SB5128 – Sen. Rolfes – Reintroduced in same form as last year. Currently, owners of electric motorcycles pay the same annual registration fee as the owners of electric cars that can travel over 30 miles on the battery. The bill reduces the fee for motorcycles to $30/yr.
  • Utility Electrification of Transportation Infrastructure – HB1127 – Rep. Morris – Reintroduced in same form as last year. Allows utilities to adopt transportation electrification plans if they determine that outreach and investment in electrification infrastructure is cost-effective in the context of acquiring new resources, considering system benefits and costs to ratepayers.

2019 Legislative EV Bills:

Senate Bill 5811:
Reducing emissions by making changes to the clean car standards and clean car program.
Sponsors: Nguyen, Rolfes, Wilson, C., Liias, Das, Hunt, Kuderer, Saldaña
No Action Taken This Session. Needs more feedback from constituents.

Senate Bill 5336:
Advancing electric transportation, Electric Vehicle Sales Tax Incentives: Palumbo, Carlyle, Nguyen, Saldaña, Hasegawa, Dhingra, Frockt, Kuderer
As of April 14, 2019, bill is stuck in the Ways and Means Committee.

 

Senate Bill 5970 
Authorizing bonds for transportation funding.Sponsors: Hobbs, King, Saldaña, Sheldon, Cleveland, Fortunato, Randall, Zeiger, Palumbo, Takko, Nguyen, Wilson, C., Mullet, Liias, Lovelett, Das, Wagoner
As of April 14, 2019, bill is stuck in the Ways and Means Committee.

 

Senate Bill 5971
Concerning transportation funding.Sponsors: Hobbs, Saldaña, Sheldon, Cleveland, Randall, Palumbo, Takko, Nguyen, Mullet, Liias, Lovelett, ConwayThis bill would double the registration tax on EV’s to $300 per anum.
As of April 14, 2019, bill is stuck in the Ways and Means Committee.

 

Senate Bill 5972
Concerning additive transportation funding and appropriations.
This bill would double the registration tax on EV’s to $300 per anum.
Sponsors: Hobbs, King, Saldaña, Sheldon, Cleveland, Fortunato, Randall, Zeiger, Palumbo, Takko, Nguyen, Wilson, C., Mullet, Liias, Padden, Lovelett, Das, Conway, Wagoner
As of April 14, 2019, bill is in Senate Rules Committee.

 

2016 Legislative EV Bills:

SEVA response to “Phony Math and Ironic Economics Used to Justify Electric Car Tax Breaks” article about the carbon emission savings page prepared by SEVA for the proposed extension to the Washington State electric vehicle sales tax exemption.

2015 Legislative EV Bills:

SEVA’s 2015 Legislative Agenda:

These are the legislative items SEVA focused on in 2015.

All  Past SEVA Legislative Agenda Items:

Here’s a complete list of all legislative items SEVA has supported over the years.

Washington State Electric Vehicle Action Plan 2015-2020  (.PDF)

Image of Washington State EV Action Plan PDF
Click Image for WA EV Action Plan