Former Gov. John Carney spent nearly two years pushing to mandate that a growing share of new cars on Delaware dealership lots be electric. His team faced a storm of public opposition. Still, in November 2023, they passed a rule: starting with the 2027 model year, 43% of new vehicles delivered to the state must be EVs or plug-in hybrids. That number would climb to 82% by 2032.

Carney originally wanted to hit 100% by 2035. He called the regulation a step toward “a clean energy future to reduce pollution and take on climate change.” The plan aimed squarely at tailpipe emissions, the state’s biggest source of air pollution.

Then along came Gov. Matt Meyer.

Just three months into the job, Meyer hit the brakes. “I’m not a strong believer in government mandates on consumers,” he told WHYY News. “The mechanism we take has yet to be determined, but I’m assuring Delawareans that the electric vehicle mandate will not go into effect.”

That’s not to say Meyer’s anti-EV

When he ran New Castle County, he helped convert almost half the county’s non-police fleet to electric. But he’s firm on one thing: the choice should be yours.

“I think that each Delaware family, Delawarean, each American should have a choice over what they want to buy and sellers should have a considerable choice on what they want to sell,” he said.

The timing of Meyer’s move is interesting.

EV adoption is picking up in Delaware 

In 2020, electric vehicles made up just 2% of new registrations. By 2024, that number jumped to 12%. The state handed out $3.5 million in rebates last year to nearly 1,700 buyers. And that’s on top of the federal rebate of up to $7,500.

So, Delaware’s charging toward cleaner transportation. Just maybe not on government orders.