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New Mexico continues its crusade against gas vehicles in the attempt to force electric vehicles (EVs) on its roads, as state regulators recently dismissed a bid to pause the enactment of new regulations aimed at increasing EV availability despite ongoing legal disputes. 

With a 4-1 vote, the state’s leftist Environmental Improvement Board decided against the New Mexico Automotive Dealers Association’s request to halt the implementation of these EV mandates amidst the association’s legal challenge in the state Court of Appeals.

Far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has pushed the shift towards electric vehicles to perpetuate the “climate change” theory. This approach has led to severe vehicle emission standards and mandates for zero-emission vehicle inventories.

However, this move has raised concerns among local auto dealers and figures like Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren. They argue that such mandates will disproportionately affect rural areas, where EV charging stations are scarce. Affordability also remains a significant concern, particularly for consumers in economically challenged regions like the Navajo Nation.

Not everyone is on board with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s EV agenda. Critics, including Republicans in the state legislature, have labeled it as unrealistic. They point out the vast distances many New Mexicans need to travel in the country’s fifth-largest yet thinly populated state, raising questions about the practicality of relying solely on electric vehicles.

Under the new rules set to take effect in 2026, 43 percent of all new passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks delivered to New Mexico dealerships by manufacturers must be zero-emission. This requirement escalates to 80 percent for passenger cars by 2032.

Carlos Garcia of Garcia Automotive Group highlighted the challenges in the EV market, referencing major manufacturers like Toyota and Ford reducing their EV production forecasts. He expressed concerns about the broader social and economic ramifications of the EV mandates on New Mexicans, beyond just the automotive industry.

The Rio Grande Foundation wrote on its website, Errors of Enchantment, “In a move that was hardly surprising, New Mexico’s unelected Environmental Improvement Board and the even more radical (also unelected) ABQ/Bernalillo County Air Quality Board chose to move forward with the EV mandates they adopted back in November. Those mandates are for 43% of new vehicles sold in New Mexico to be electric starting in the summer of 2026 (just over 2 years from now).”

“Those mandates are widely seen as unattainable by auto industry insiders and car dealers alike as interest in EV’s wanes among consumers. But, Gov. Lujan Grisham and her cadre of radical environmentalists and left-wing advocates remain dedicated to pushing forward no matter what it costs consumers, taxpayers, or how many job losses are inflicted on auto dealers. According to the most recent information available EV sales in New Mexico now account for 4.82 percent of all vehicles sold in the state. That means a nearly ten-fold increase in EV sales must occur over the next two years,” the group wrote.