California, the country's most populous state and the center of U.S. car culture, is banning the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles in 2035.
The rule, issued by the California Air Resources Board on Thursday, will force automakers to speed up production of cleaner vehicles beginning in 2026 until sales of only zero- emission cars, pickup trucks and SUVs are allowed in the state.
The vote came after the governor set a target to shift away from internal combustion engines. Climate change has made air pollution worse in California and the transportation sector is the largest source of emissions.
Other states will be able to adopt the requirement if the decision is upheld. New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania have adopted California's vehicle standards.
The rule will lead to a 50% reduction in pollution from cars and light trucks by the year 2040 according to the chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board.
The policy won't stop people from buying and selling gas cars after the year 2055. The rule will allow the sale of up to 20% plug-in hybrid cars by the year 2035.
The rule requires that at least one third of new vehicle sales be powered by batteries or hydrogen by the year 2020. The state of California said that more than 16% of new cars sold in the state in the next four years were zero-emissions vehicles.
Kathy Harris, clean vehicles advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council said, "California is once again leading the way by establishing commonsense standards that will transition to sales of all zero-polluting cars and light-duty trucks."
Motor vehicles drive on the 101 freeway in Los Angeles, California.California, home to congested freeways and smog-filled skies, has a lot of authority over the country's auto industry.
The Clean Air Act allows the state to adopt stronger fuel economy standards than the federal government, which has set a precedent for other countries to follow.
Catalysts that convert toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas into less-toxic pollutants have been spurred by California's ability to control vehicle emissions. The nation's first tailpipe emissions standards were established in 1966.
The Biden administration restored California's authority to regulate its own air quality after the Trump administration revoked it.
The rule is important to meeting the state's goal of transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2045 and will lead to fewer cardiopulmonary deaths and emergency visits for asthma and other illnesses.
Installation of enough charging stations and adequate access to materials needed to make batteries for electric vehicles are some of the challenges that will have to be met.
John Bozzella is the president and CEO of the Alliance for automotive innovation.
Bozzella said that the requirements are linked to external factors such as inflation, charging and fuel infrastructure, supply chains, labor, critical mineral availability and pricing. These are interwoven and global issues.
The Inflation Reduction Act provides funding for electric vehicle tax credits and clean vehicle manufacturing facilities. New car and light truck tailpipe emissions limits were issued by the Biden administration.
Some argued that the board needed to set tougher targets to meet the seriousness of the climate crisis. The board was urged to impose a rule to achieve 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by the year 2030.
Scott Hochberg is an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute.
"California needs to act strongly on gas-powered cars instead of ignoring them, and shift to EV much sooner or watch our climate stability slip away."
The rule will be important for the state to meet its climate goals and emission reduction targets, according to Daniel Barad, senior policy advocate at Sierra Club.
Barad said that other states should follow California's lead and adopt the life saving rule.
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