Bill proposes only zero emission cars to be sold in California by 2040
California Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) has introduced a bill that would require all new cars sold in the U.S. state after January 1, 2040 to be zero emission.
For the purposes of the bill, zero-emission vehicles cannot produce exhaust emissions of any criteria pollutant or greenhouse gas (GHG) under any operational mode or condition. This would mean that even hybrid vehicles would be prohibited under the new bill.
The bill does not apply to large commercial vehicles (larger than 10,000 pounds) and does not apply to vehicles owned by people moving into California from other states.
“Governor Brown set a goal for California to have 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025, and our state’s climate change prevention policies project the need for 5 million zero-emission vehicles by 2030,” Ting’s office said in a press release. “AB 1745, the Clean Cars 2040 Act, will set the next critical goal for California by requiring all new passenger vehicles sold after January 1, 2040 to be zero emissions.”
California has set ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. There are nearly 300,000 EVs on California roads today. In 2016, approximately 2.09 million new cars were sold in California, but only 1.9% were EVs.
“We’re at an inflection point: we’ve got to address the harmful emissions that cause climate change. Achieving the goal of electrification of transportation is crucial for the health of our people and the planet,” Ting said. “Vehicles run on fossil fuels are responsible for nearly 40% of California’s GHG emissions. By spurring the use of zero-emission vehicles, we’re creating a mechanism to ensure a healthier future for Californians, and the entire region.”
If the bill were to pass, California would join countries like the United Kingdom and France, which have recently announced plans to phase out gasoline and diesel powered cars by 2040. Norway, which has plans to ban the sale of fossil fueled vehicles by 2025, has seen the rise of EV use, which now represents 37% of the country’s car market.