All new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the state of California will be electric vehicles or other emissions-free models by 2035.
The commitment, signed off by The California Air Resources Board (CARB), comes as the western state steps up its efforts to cut fossil fuels in the fight against climate change. It plans a dedicated California Clean Air Day on October 5.
The action by CARB is an essential step to cleaning up the transportation system, which causes about 80% of California’s smog and soot and about 50% of its greenhouse gas emissions.
The updated standards will mean less pollution coming out of the tailpipes of combustion engines, and an acceleration of the vital deployment of zero-emission vehicles, with the aim that all vehicles sold in 13 years’ time will be ZEVs.
In a statement it said, “We urge other states and the federal government to follow California’s lead in putting ZEVs on the road. At the same time, we must do more to provide clean mobility to all Californians, whether or not they own cars. We need to democratise the electric car and help our low-income communities of colour make the transition to zero-emission transportation.”
The best way to support an equitable transition to zero-emission transportation is for voters to pass Proposition 30, the Clean Air Initiative, on the November ballot, the statement added.
Prop 30 would invest “unprecedented amounts” of funds in incentives for clean cars, trucks, and buses, as well as bikes, and in the infrastructure to support them, with at least half of the money flowing to disadvantaged and low-income communities.
Congress has passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), which is billed as a “once-in-a-generation investment” in the nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness.
Currently the US market share of plug-in EV sales is only one-third the size of the Chinese EV market. The legislation will invest $7.5bn to build out a national network of EV chargers.
The aim is to build a nationwide network of 500,000 EV chargers to accelerate the adoption of EVs, reduce emissions, improve air quality, and create jobs.
Governor of California Gavin Newsom recently received calls to allocate $300m of the state’s budget to fund 1,000 hydrogen refuelling stations over the next decade to meet climate goals.
In a letter to the Governor, the State Building & Construction Trades Council, California State Council of Labourers, District Council of Ironworkers, and the California-Nevada Conference of Operating Engineers, and CEOs from Toyota, Hyundai, Chevron, Shell, Linde and True Zero called for the immediate funding.
The letter comes little over a year after another letter to Newsom calling for $500m of the state’s budget to be dedicate to hydrogen infrastructure.
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