California Governor: All New Passenger Cars Sold By 2035 Must Be Zero-Emission

On September 23, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to ban the sale of new gasoline-only vehicles starting in 2035. According to the order, all new passenger cars sold in California after the specified deadline must be zero-emission--a category that includes electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and plug-in hybrids that still use gasoline or diesel in addition to electricity, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The state estimates that the introduction of 100% new zero-emission cars and trucks will reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by more than a third.

By 2030, a number of countries already have similar laws in place, including England, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Israel and India. Canada and France have announced a similar phase-out of internal combustion engines by 2040.

“This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change,” Newsom said in a statement. “For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe. You deserve to have a car that doesn’t give your kids asthma. Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse - and create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines.”

ON THE HOOD OF A FORD MUSTANG... Governor Newsom signs executive order stopping the sale of new gas powered cars by 2035 in California pic.twitter.com/zecNpGD19h

— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) September 23, 2020

Newsom's decision to make California the first state to do so is a landmark environmental event that is expected to spread across the United States. California is the largest auto market in the U.S., and its emissions laws have governed the way automobiles are manufactured for decades.

The new rules, which came in the form of an executive order, will not affect existing gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles. Those will still be legal in California and can continue to be bought or sold as used cars.

Passenger cars emit 28% of all greenhouse gases in California, and the production and processing of gasoline and other fuels for them generates another 11% of the state's greenhouse gases. With regard to vehicles, Newsom's order is the most significant action he has taken to address climate change since becoming governor.

 

Under the new executive order, the air board will also write regulations to require that new medium- and heavy-duty vehicles will be 100% zero-emission by 2045 “where feasible.”

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