California is urging the Biden administration to approve its plan to mandate all new vehicles sold in the state by 2035 to be either electric or plug-in electric hybrids, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB), which approved the plan in August, requested a green light from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on May 22 to waiver under the Clean Air Act to implement its new rules that set yearly rising zero-emission vehicle standards starting in 2026 and would end the sales of vehicles powered solely by gasoline by 2035.
California’s zero-emission rules deliver a 25% reduction in smog-causing pollution from light-duty vehicles. The rules require that 35% of new cars sold be plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV), EVs, or hydrogen fuel cell by 2026. The proportion will then increase to 68% by 2030 and 100% by 2035.
California's zero-emission rules will cost $210.35 billion but will have total benefits of $301.41 billion through 2040, according to the 60-page California waiver request seen by Reuters.
Although California's electric vehicle rules are more stringent than those proposed by the Biden administration, a growing number of states are adopting California's requirements. Rhode Island, Washington, Virginia, Vermont, Oregon, New York, and Massachusetts have joined in adopting the California requirements.
