Minnesota appeals court upholds ‘Clean Car Rule’

There is such a wide variety of vehicles on the roads these days, and more and more of them are fully electric and hybrid; and more Minnesotans find themselves looking into e-v travel, too.

Related Story: Court upholds Minnesota ‘Clean Car Rule’ tied to California

The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled that the “clean car” standards the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Walz administration seek to implement in this state are constitutional. This ties with the state’s vehicle emission standards to California regulations.

The “Clean Car Rule” will take effect in 2024 for the 2025 model year. The clean car standards will only consist of the low-emission vehicle standard and the zero-emission vehicle standard. It will only apply to new light- and medium-duty vehicles for sale in Minnesota. 

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Intern Director of Communications Andrea Cournoyer sent WDIO this statement after Monday’s decision by the Minnesota Supreme Court. “The MPCA is pleased with today’s court decision upholding Minnesota’s clean cars standard, which provides drivers with more options to purchase electric and hybrid vehicles that help them save money on gas and address climate change. This standard is an important part of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Minnesota, while the state also builds out the electric vehicle charging network, advances alternative modes of transportation, and works to create cleaner fuels that support Minnesota’s economy.”

With more and more people looking into purchasing an e-vehicle, there has been a while, and sometimes that wait can be longer than two months.

“We had to order this in July, and we just got it last week. So, it was is that six months or seven months. Wait. It was kind of under the terms of you can buy it, and you don’t really know how much it’s going to cost you every month; because we don’t know when you’ll get it or what rates are going to be at that time,” said Michael Lillegard, Co-Owner of Duluth Best Bread.

The business recently upgraded to an e-vehicle and weighed all factors before going on the new electric vehicle journey. “If we were going to be spending new car money, we thought we would get an electric as far as vans have very poor gas economy. I figured electric was kind of the way of the future.”

In Minnesota, the transportation sector remains Minnesota’s largest source of greenhouse gasses, with light-and heavy-duty trucks being some of the main contributors.

“There is a lot of administrative push, you know, in government for cleaner emission vehicles. It’s kind of nice when you get it and you look at the little sheet of paper that comes with them. It’s like A-plus. A-plus on emissions, and it’s green, and that’s something that’s new for me,” Lillegard expressed.

Of course, battery life and winter driving are part of the conversations here in the northern climate. “The biggest thing is that they really recommend keeping the battery warm in the winter, so which means housing it indoors or keeping it heated, Lillegard shared.