iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
California regulators voted to approve an unprecedented rule that would ban the sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035.
California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed the 2035 ban two years ago with an executive order that directed California Air Resources Board (CARB) and others to determine how to implement the plan.
According to a CNN report, “The board’s new rules would also set interim quotas for zero-emission vehicles, focusing on new models. Starting with 2026 models, 35% of new cars, SUVs and small pickups sold in California would be required to be zero-emission vehicles. That quota would increase each year and is expected to reach 51% of all new car sales in 2028, 68% in 2030 and 100% in 2035. The quotas also would allow 20% of zero-emission cars sold to be plug-in hybrids.”
The rules will not impact used vehicles, allowing them to stay on the roads. The rules will not be immediate, and will go into effect in 2026, said CARB member Daniel Sperling.
“The climate crisis is solvable if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to stem the tide of carbon pollution,” Newsom said.
Regulators said multiple states are expected to follow suit. At present, 15 states including Colorado and Minnesota, as well as states on the Northeast and West Coast, have followed California’s previous zero-emission vehicle regulations.
“This is a critical milestone in our climate fight, which is why Washington is poised to institute these same requirements by the end of the year,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee told CNN in a statement. “We look forward to partnering with other states and the Biden Administration to rapidly reduce the country’s primary source of greenhouse gas emissions.”
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos told CNN in a statement that California’s Thursday vote “unlocks New York’s ability to adopt the same regulation.”
California votes to ban gasoline-powered cars by 2035
