Contrary to the major American states or Europe, Wyoming does not want to ban the sale of thermal cars, but on the contrary to do so for electric cars by 2035.
The State of Wyoming seems to want to troll California and other American states, where laws have been passed to ban the sale of thermal cars. In this state that lives mainly on oil and gas, it is not surprising that politicians want to curb the development of electric cars. It is in any case really a law Project named “Phasing out sales of new electric vehicles by 2035” which was tabled by several senators on January 13, 2023.
Senator Jim Anderson is tough on electric cars. In an interview for the local daily Cowboy Daily Statehe indicates that this bill is a way of saying openly: “ if you don’t like our gasoline cars, we don’t like your electric cars. »
Is this idea of an anti-electric vehicle law really serious?
If the laws to ban thermal vehicles in California or New York State, or even in Europe, by 2035 are to be taken seriously, this proposal from the State of Wyoming is not completely . It suffices to read the details of the proposals to understand that this is a provocation, even if the observations which led to the tabling of this text are concrete.
The text is essentially based on these two points:
- ” Section 1. That the legislature encourage and express as a goal that the sale of new electric vehicles in the State of Wyoming be phased out by 2035. »
- ” Section 2. That the legislature encourage Wyoming industries and citizens to limit the sale and purchase of new electric vehicles in Wyoming, with the goal of phasing out the sale of new electric vehicles in Wyoming by 2035. »
Suffice to say that we are still far from a real bill to ban the electric vehicle from Wyoming. The objective of the senators is nevertheless to invite debate.
A very different context from California
Wyoming is one of the 10 largest states in the United States by size, but one of the least populated. The population is approximately 578,000 (2020 United States Census Bureau figure), while California is home to over 39 million people during that time.
Wyoming senators are concerned about the mesh of the charging network needed for electric cars, which is not compatible with their extensive but sparsely populated territory. Among the other concerns raised, there is the recycling of batteries, but above all the impact on the economy and employment of the territory, very dependent on gas and oil.
We find on the whole the traditional remarks on the electric vehicle. Senator Bonner, co-signer of the proposal, also commented on his action in the Cowboy Daily State newspaper: ” You could even call it a joke, but it is obviously a very serious matter that deserves public debate. I want to make sure that the solutions that some want to bring to the so-called climate crisis are actually practical in real life » and to add : « I just don’t appreciate other states trying to impose technology that isn’t ready. »
Wyoming could, however, take an example from Norway
Wyoming senators seem to oppose the electric car to their historical oil industry. They could, however, take the example of Norway, a country that is larger and more populated. This Scandinavian country, which is now known to have the highest rate of integration of the electric car, also depends massively on its oil and gas sector.
Of course, there are many differences between the two territories (for example, population density, the development of public transport). However, this does not prevent us from observing that the two sectors can cohabit, without necessarily opposing each other.
Wyoming cowboys seem a little resistant to change. However, with more and more high-performance pickups, such as the Ford F-150 Lightning, the Rivian, the Hummer EV or the next Tesla Cybertruck or RAM 1500 evolution, car manufacturers could end up seducing them with their electric models, certainly more than they currently imagine.
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