Two States Join California in Banning New Gas Cars
Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington state, announced the state would follow in California’s footsteps in ending new gas and diesel car sales in 13 years, Fox Business wrote.
35% of new cars sold have to be electric
According to new rules adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which is responsible for motor vehicle emissions in the Golden State, over a third of the new cars sold in the state will have to be plug-in hybrids or electric cars by 2026. The percentage will reach just over two-thirds by 2030. By 2035, all new cars sold will have to be electric or plug-in hybrids.
The US federal government gave California a waiver to decide on its air quality regulations. Other states may adopt its rules and regulations, which tend to be quite strict by national standards.
Massachusetts and Washington have statutes to enforce bans on gas car sales if CARB in case passes one. Ahead of CARB’s final decision, the governor of Washington tweeted:
This is a critical milestone in our climate fight. Washington set in law a goal for all new car sales to be zero emissions by 2030 and we’re ready to adopt California’s regs by end of this year.
California with highest EV ownership rate
Washington has one of the highest concentrations of electric vehicles per capita in the country with more than 100,000 registered EVs. In July, 8% of all car registrations were for EVs. Still, California holds the title of the state with the most EVs.
The opposition retaliates
Republican Rep. Andy Barkis, who is also a ranking member of the transport committee of Washington House, believes the efforts to ban internal combustion engines will inflict damage on consumers as well as manufacturers.
To take effect, CARB’s rule requires approval from the federal government. Massachusetts and Washington will need to proceed with codifying the regulations before the state governments can enforce them.
The governments won’t restrict the sale of used gas and diesel cars. Owners of non-electric vehicles bought in another state will have permission to register them.
