California's clean-air regulators unveiled a plan this week that would ramp up the sale of electric and zero-emissions vehicles while phasing out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by the year 2035.
The California Air Resources Board is considering a proposal that would require a third of new passenger vehicle sales to be powered by batteries or hydrogen by 2026. The proposal calls for zero-emissions sales to make up 32% of total sales by the year 2030.
Cars, trucks, and other vehicles make up 40% of the state's pollution, so moving the transportation sector to cleaner energy is a key component of the state's plan to combat climate change.
Electric vehicle sales in the state increased from 7.8% in 2020 to 12.4% last year, according to the board.
The proposal will be voted on by the board in August. California's vehicle standards have been adopted by 15 states, including New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
The governor's executive order in 2020 called for the phasing out of new cars with internal combustion engines within 15 years.
The rule wouldn't prevent people from owning gas vehicles or selling them on the used market.
Adoption of the proposed Advanced Clean Cars II regulation is necessary because of the harmful effects of climate change that are expected to get worse in the coming decades.
When he signed the executive order, he said the plan could curb the state's emissions from cars by more than 30% and that zero-emission vehicles would be cheaper than gas-powered vehicles.
The market is poised for massive transformation, as it has been 30 years since the first light-duty vehicles were built in California.
California has a goal to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2045.
The state should impose a rule to achieve 100% zero-emission vehicle sales five years earlier than the current proposal, according to some environmental groups.
Scott Hochberg, a transportation attorney at the Climate Law Institute, said that time is running out before the world.
To protect people and the planet, California has to free its streets from tailpipe pollution as fast as possible.
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