EV Policy Update for the week of March 2, 2026

[Grace Reamer]

EV POLICY UPDATE 3-2-26

Hello electric vehicle advocates! With just two weeks left in the 2026 legislative session, we have some good news to report about EV funding from Olympia. An addition to the transportation funding bill would allocate $5 million for instant rebates on the purchase or lease of used EVs by "vulnerable populations." In addition, a bill that finally would allow direct EV sales by Rivian and Lucid has advanced in the Senate, but still has a long way to go. Following are details:

UPDATES

Senate Bill 6354 - EV Direct Sales. Sponsors Sens. Liias and King. Allows direct sales of BEVs by Rivian and Lucid, and requires in-state service centers and dealers licenses. An amendment added in the Senate Transportation Committee institutes a fine of $10,000 for each sale or lease of a vehicle made by an unlicensed manufacturer in the state. The bill passed the Senate Transportation Committee on Feb. 27 by a vote of 13-5. Read the text here. Recommendation: SUPPORT. Send your comments to lawmakers here.

Senate Bill 6005  - Supplemental transportation appropriations. Sponsor Sen. Liias. The bill passed the Senate Transportation Committee on Feb. 26, and then was approved by the full Senate on Feb. 27 by a vote of 49-0. In the House, amendments more than doubled the amount from the carbon emissions reduction account going to grants for installation of community EVSEs to $29.744 million from $13 million. Included in that is $5 million for tribes instead of $2 million, and $100,000 for take-home fleet vehicle charging installation. Also, $5 million of the EV account is appropriated for instant rebates on the purchase or lease of used EVs by vulnerable populations if SB6354 is enacted, and $245,000 of the multimodal transportation account is appropriated for preventing EV charger property crime if SB 5746 is enacted. 

The amended bill was approved by the full House on Feb. 28 by a vote of 93-0. The bill now goes to reconciliation. Read the text here. Recommendation: SUPPORT. Send your comments to lawmakers here.

Senate Bill 5746 - Creating an advisory committee on electric vehicle charger infrastructure property crime. Sponsor: Sen. J. Wilson. After passing in the Senate Transportation Committee in January, the bill is languishing in the Senate Rules Committee X File. Funding is allocated in SB6005 if this bill passes. Read the text here. Recommendation: SUPPORT. Send your comment to lawmakers here.

HOW TO TESTIFY:

If you haven't registered your comments yet, it takes just a minute to sign in with your support or opposition. The online Committee Sign In portal allows you to register your support or opposition to a bill, submit a comment for a public hearing, or sign up to testify online on a Senate or House bill.

You also can call and e-mail your state senators and representatives directly - find your district, names and e-mail addresses at www.leg.wa.gov.

I plan to send out weekly updates during the legislative session, highlighting opportunities to share your thoughts and concerns. Please share with anyone you know who is interested!

Grace

gvre...@gmail.com