Washington state legislators passed a law to outlaw most new gasoline-powered cars in the next eight years. SB 5974, which was recently signed (pdf) by Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee, establishes that “all publicly owned and privately owned passenger and light duty vehicles of model year 2030 or later that are sold, purchased, or registered in Washington state be electric vehicles” and creates an “interagency electric vehicle coordinating council.” During the bill signing this week, Inslee said that the measure is climate-related and will “move us away from the transportation system our grandparents imagined and towards the transportation system our grandchildren dream of.” Reports indicate that electric vehicles are cost-prohibitive for many Americans, with an average price for an electric car hovering around $50,000. According to local media, just 1.3 percent of cars on the road in Washington state are battery-powered. Jeremy Horpedahl, an economist at the University of Arkansas, said the …