Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman promised to end a New York state “war on drivers” by killing Democrat-driven green energy mandates if he’s elected.

Blakeman ripped his Democratic rival Gov. Kathy Hochul for her pro-EV crusade to phase out gas-powered cars in favor of zero-emission electric vehicles by 2035.

“Kathy Hochul looks at middle-class commuters and sees an ATM,” Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, told The Post. “She already hiked tolls and fares 21 times, slapped drivers with a congestion pricing tax just to cross into Manhattan, and now she’s literally trying to dictate what vehicle you can keep in your driveway.

“Hochul may think everyone rides an electric scooter to an office, but out in the real world, we have kids to drive to school, tools to haul to job sites, and shifts to make,” he went on. “When I’m Governor, Hochul’s war on drivers ends, and her gas car ban goes straight to the garbage.”

The 2022 law backed by Hochul — the Advance Clear Cars Mandate 2 — requires all new passenger cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs sold in New York State to be zero emissions by 2035.

Hochul promoted zero-emission electric autos to meet the state’s climate change law requirements for dramatically reducing greenhouse emissions and air pollution.

“New York is a national climate leader and an economic powerhouse, and we’re using our strength to help spur innovation and implementation of zero-emission vehicles on a grand scale,” Hochul said in a September 2022 press statement.

“With sustained state and federal investments, our actions are incentivizing New Yorkers, local governments, and businesses to make the transition to electric vehicles. We’re driving New York’s transition to clean transportation forward, and today’s announcement will benefit our climate and the health of our communities for generations to come.”

Hochul doubled down on her support for the ban on gas-powered vehicles during Earth Week in April, saying $30 million in government funds were available to help subsidize New Yorkers’ purchase or lease of an electric vehicle.

“As the federal administration continues to roll back support for clean air and electric vehicles, New York State is leaning in to prioritize benefits that reduce consumer out-of-pocket costs while reducing harmful emissions,” Hochul said.

“At a time when gas prices at the pump have soared in the wake of the war with Iran, electric vehicles will help make driving more affordable for New Yorkers.”

But Blakeman said the edict strips driving consumers of choice while imposing crushing vehicle prices and overloading an already fragile electrical grid.

Last year, New York’s auto dealers interviewed by The Post warned the deadline to wean drivers off gas-powered cars to electric vehicles was pie in the sky.

“The deadlines don’t match the reality,” said Jack Weidinger, chairman of the Greater Automobile Dealers Association of NY, who owns a Cadillac dealership in Great Neck.

“Dealers want to extend the deadline so we don’t destroy the market,” he said.

Even some Democratic lawmakers urged Hochul to pump the brakes on the timeline forcing New Yorkers to switch from gas-powered cars to emission-free electric autos.

Hochul and the Democratic-led legislature have also banned gas stoves, furnaces and propane heating in new buildings.

Democrat Hochul, seeking re-election to a second term, did push back and tweak a mandate that New York cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. The new goal is 60% by 2040, with changes to how that measure is calculated.

Hochul’s campaign did not address Blakeman’s criticism of the electric car mandate and instead linked her Republican opponent to President Trump’s energy and tariff policies and touted the governor’s reforms to tame high auto insurance costs.

Gas prices have surged amid the US war with Iran.

“Let’s talk about Bruce Blakeman’s war on drivers: while Governor Hochul lowers the cost of car insurance to put money back in families’ pockets, Blakeman opposes those efforts while throwing his weight behind Trump’s record-high gas prices that are draining New Yorkers’ wallets and his illegal tariffs that make cars more expensive,” said Hochul Campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki.