By the year 2035, auto manufacturers will only be allowed to sell zero-emission or low-emission cars in California, with petrol and diesel cars sales formally banned. The regulations come two years after Governor Gavin Newsom announced that The California Air Resources Board will develop “passenger vehicle and truck regulations requiring increasing volumes of new zero-emission vehicles sold in the state towards the target of 100 percent of in-state sales by 2035.”
Read: Corsair’s new bendable OLED gaming monitor is bonkers
The new ruling was unanimously approved by the board, which will mean ICE (internal combustion engine) cars will not be allowed to be sold in the state. This change will not just be applicable overnight – the shift will be done gradually with interim targets needing to be hit as well. By 2026, 35 percent of new car sales in the state must be electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids or models with hydrogen fuel cells. That benchmark will rise to 68 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2035.
Other states in the US is likely to follow suit after this ruling. New York and Massachusetts have similar rulings in place, although timelines differ between states. Many other states have been prone to follow California’s example when it comes to environmental and climate change legislation.
It shouldn’t be a major resolution for several manufacturers, however, as many have their own internal targets for the shift to low-emission cars. Bentley aims to sell only plug-in hybrids and EVs by 2026. Mercedes and Volvo plan to go fully electric by 2030. GM expects to finalize a similar transition by 2035. Honda has set a target of 2040. Ford, meanwhile, has pledged to fully switch to EVs in Europe by 2030.
Santa Rosa, a city in California, has also banned the opening of new petrol stations, as part of efforts to combat climate change.
