California Announces Plan to Retire New Gas-Powered Cars by 2035


WASHINGTON — California rolled out an aggressive plan Wednesday to mandate a steady increase in sales of electric and zero-emission vehicles, a first in the country to ban new gasoline-powered cars by 2035.

Under the proposed rule published by the California Air Resources Board, the state will require that 35 percent of new passenger cars sold in the state by 2026 are powered by batteries or hydrogen. Less than a decade later, the state expects 100 percent of all new car sales to be free from fossil fuel emissions, which are primarily responsible for warming the planet.

It would mark a big leap forward. According to the board, 12.4 percent of new vehicles currently sold in California are zero-emissions.

If the board completes the plan in August, it could set the bar for the country’s auto industry. California is the largest auto market in the United States and the 10th largest in the world. In addition, 15 other states, including New York, Massachusetts, and North Carolina, have previously followed California’s steps on exhaust gas emissions and may accept similar recommendations.

“This is extremely important,” said Daniel Sperling, a member of the California weather board and director of the Transportation Research Institute at the University of California, Davis. He said the proposed rule, which he says he expects to pass, sends a signal to the global auto market.

“Other countries and other states are watching what California is doing,” he said. “And so this will resonate around the world.”

The proposal comes as President Biden’s climate agenda falters. Mr. Biden signed an executive order last year asking the government to try to achieve this. Half of all vehicles sold in the United States will be electric by 2030. However, legislation to help make this transition by allocating billions of dollars to electric vehicle tax incentives has been stalled in the Senate. Meanwhile, under pressure to ease high gas prices, the president is urging oil companies to drill for more oil.

Automakers did not immediately respond to requests for comment on California’s proposed rule. In a joint statement last year, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, the auto company founded this year after the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot, announced their “joint desire” to achieve 40 to 50 percent electric vehicle sales nationally by 2030.

But they need government support and “a full package of electrification policies” to turn aspirations into action, they wrote.

Transportation is California’s single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.

California’s proposed rule put into action An executive order issued by Governor Gavin Newsom According to the plan, 35 percent of new cars and light trucks sold by 2026 should be zero-emissions. This will increase to 68 percent in 2030 and 100 percent in 2035. The plan allows for 20 percent of new sales. being a plug-in hybrid.

According to California air pollution regulators, the rule will eliminate 384 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions between 2026 and 2040 – more than emitted from all sources in 2019.

“These emission reductions will help stabilize the climate and reduce the risk of severe droughts and wildfires and consequent fine particulate matter pollution.” situationsays plan e.

Environmental groups were divided over the plan. Don Anair, deputy director of the clean transportation program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the measure has improved since an earlier draft. He described it as “the most important climate decision” the California air resources board will make this year.

But Scott Hochberg, a transportation attorney at the Center for Biodiversity, accused California of taking a “slow path” and called for the state to end sales of gas-powered vehicles by 2030, five years ago, in a statement.

Mr. Sperling noted that several challenges remain, including building charging stations for vehicles and convincing consumers to buy electric vehicles. He said the final 20 to 30 percent will be the hardest part of the transition and will likely require new policies and incentives.

“We can’t get people vaccinated,” he said. “Why do we think we can buy them an electric car? This means that we will need to be creative to make these vehicles attractive to consumers beyond and beyond their attractive and natural features.”



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