It won’t happen overnight, but with this radical change, California is demonstrating its commitment to combating pollution and climate change.
California, the largest vehicle buyer in the United States, wants to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars and trucks within the state by 2035 with an executive order signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. This is the most aggressive action ever taken by a state or nation in the United States to combat carbon pollution that is fuelling higher temperatures, the fires in California and the persistent air quality problems caused by car exhaust gases.
Within 2035 in California will be prohibited the sale of gasoline cars
“In order to achieve a carbon-free economy by 2045, we must use the means of transport,” Newsom said today in a webcast. “We’re marking a new course … with a clear goal that by 2035 we will eliminate sales of internal combustion engines in the state of California”. While new carbon powered vehicles will not be able to be purchased after the entry into force of the law, “you can keep your current car or buy a used car,” he said. “We’re not taking anything”.
With a population of 40 million, the state buys more than 10% of all new cars and trucks sold in the United States each year and is the country’s largest market for electric vehicles, with about 750,000 vehicles in circulation today. California also has 34 companies that produce or plan to produce electric vehicles, notably Tesla, from Palo Alto.
Transportation accounts for more than half of California’s carbon pollution, 80% of smog pollution, and 95% of noxious diesel emissions, said Newsom’s office in a statement. As a result, cities and countries in the Los Angeles region and the state’s Central Valley consistently have one of the worst air quality in the United States.
“California’s zero-emissions transition is ambitious, but not surprising. Climate change is number one for many Californians who have been increasingly affected by the devastating fires that seem to have only worsened in recent years,” said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of Edmunds’ insights. “This passage is an important change that will not happen miraculously on New Year’s Day 2035. To help encourage the buy-in of consumers there will probably need financial incentives to get more people willing to switch to electricity”.
Along with the rule of passenger transport vehicles, the California Air Resources Board, according to Newsom’s office, must establish rules that require medium and heavy vehicles to be at zero emissions by 2045. Trucks transporting goods to and from state ports will have to be at zero emissions by 2035.
California’s previous environmental and emissions regulations have been fought by car manufacturers, oil companies and the Trump Administration, and Newsom’s new order will undoubtedly face legal challenges. Nevertheless, six car manufacturers who previously agreed to abide by California’s strict rules on car emissions are supporting the move. Among them are Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, BMW and Volvo.
“We agree with Governor Newsom that it is time to act urgently to address climate change,” Ford said in a statement. Wednesday Newsom signed his order on the hood of an electric Ford Mustang Mach-E. “Progress requires public-private partnerships, smart infrastructures and key resources that encourage consumers to invest in electrified products”. We look forward to continuing to do our part to guide this transformation”. Separately, Newsom also said that his order includes a ban on fracking for oil and gas production in the state.
The announcement comes the same day that Volkswagen unveiled prices and sales date for its battery-powered ID.4 and a day after Elon Musk announced Tesla’s plans for cheaper batteries that, according to him, will lead to a $25,000 electric car in the next few years.
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