There is definitely a war on gas in New York State, but are New Yorkers really gas guzzlers? In the next decade or so, New York State is expected to fully or close to fully move to electric vehicles. Opponents of the gas ban say that the infrastructure is not set up to support forcing people to drive electric cars, among other things.

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New York State's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan Approved

Despite naysayers questioning New York State's electric vehicle infrastructure plan, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that it approved New York State's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan. The plan will help New York build its electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Before the ban on electric vehicles can take effect a robust charging infrastructure must be in place to support the massive increase in electric vehicles. The plan includes up to $175 million to fund the major infrastructure project.

New York State is making progress with its ban on gas-powered cars, essentially making them illegal to buy. Just like California, a new report from News 8 WROC says that New York is on track to ban all gas vehicles. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently approved New York's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan, pushing the state closer to making the ban a reality.

New York State Has Passed A Law Essentially Banning All Gas Vehicles

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The federal government's Clean Air Act is behind the drastic measures,

The Clean Air Act is the comprehensive federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources. Among other things, this law authorizes EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public health and public welfare and to regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants.

The act requires states to follow the federal government’s vehicle emissions standards. New York State's Senate and Assembly have passed bills (Assembly Bill A4302 / Senate Bill S2758) that ban gas vehicles by 2035. Both bills, which have been signed by the governor, provide that,

One hundred percent of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks shall be zero-emissions by two thousand thirty-five, medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles by two thousand forty-five and off-road vehicles and equipment by two thousand thirty-five.

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How Much Gasoline Do New Yorkers Really Use?

In terms of New York's ranking nationally, it is low, very low. Meaning, New Yorkers don't use a lot of gas compared to residents of the other 50 states.

New York State Ranks 49th Nationally For Gas Usage

According to 247WallSt.com, the only state that uses less motor fuel than New York is Hawaii. Here's what the site says about New Yorkers' gas usage:

New York

> 2021 motor fuel consumption per licensed driver: 573.4 gal/driver
> 2021 gas consumed: 6.8 billion gal. — 4th most
> 2021 licensed drivers: 11.9 million — 4th most
> Avg. gas price as of Apr 11, 2023: $3.63 per gal. — 14th highest
> Est. annual cost of driving at current gas prices: $2,080.46 — 3rd lowest
> 2021 miles driven per licensed driver: 8,996 — the fewest (78.2% urban, 21.8% rural)
> 2022 population: 19.7 million — 4th largest

You might take a look at the 2021 gas consumed number and say "Wow, that's high!" But with such a large population, the fuel is spread out over many drivers. Let's take a look at the #1 state for gas usage, Wyoming, to compare:

Wyoming
> 2021 motor fuel consumption per licensed driver: 1,712.1 gal/driver
> 2021 gas consumed: 737.0 million gal. — 7th fewest
> 2021 licensed drivers: 430,472 — the fewest
> Avg. gas price as of Apr 11, 2023: $3.43 per gal. — 15th lowest
> Est. annual cost of driving at current gas prices: $5,872.61 — the highest
> 2021 miles driven per licensed driver: 25,778 — the most (26.1% urban, 73.9% rural)
> 2022 population: 581,381 — the smallest

Wyoming is the state with the smallest population, but each driver, on average, uses 1,712 gallons of gas. That's three times the amount that each driver in New York uses.