In California from 2035, motorists will only be able to buy electric cars. The regulatory obligation to purchase exclusively green models – motivated by the need to tackle climate change while also reducing air pollution – was introduced on August 25 by the California Air Resources Board (Carb), according to which in 13 years all new cars and light trucks purchased from state borders must be zero-emission vehicles. A move that could radically reshape the US auto market, which gets 10% of its sales from the most populous state in the US. Other states may soon follow California, further accelerating the production of zero-emission vehicles.
No reflection on used or gas cars
Lauren Sanchez, climate advisor to Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, called the squeeze “a great day not just for California but for the whole world.” California has always been at the forefront of car emission regulations in the US with the first Carb initiatives against the yellowish cloud of smog that hovered over Los Angeles in 1966, the year in which Congress granted California permission to establish its own rules under the Federal Air Quality Act.
The new emissions rules do not prohibit the use of gas cars or the sale of used cars. But they require 100% of new passenger car, truck and SUV sales to be powered by electricity or hydrogen by 2035, with a one-fifth share of plug-in hybrid models. The total stop policy on traditional fuel cars will force automakers to phase out gasoline and diesel cars, sport utility vehicles, minivans and pickups in favor of cleaner versions powered by batteries or fuel cells.
Fines of $ 20,000 for non-compliant models
If automakers fail to meet the benchmarks, they could be fined $ 20,000 for each non-compliant vehicle, the Board said. Moreover, electric cars are rapidly gaining space on the Californian market. In 2012, less than 2% of new vehicles sold were electric. It grew to 7% in 2018, and now 16% of new cars sold in the state are plug-in vehicles.
Enforcement of the regulation will require 15 times more car batteries across the state and a more reliable and efficient energy grid. A study released by the Air Board earlier this year predicts that electricity demand will increase by 68 percent over the next few years. Today, the state has around 80,000 public electric charging stations. The California Energy Commission has predicted it will have to rise to 1.2 million by 2030.