California expected to ban sale of new gas cars by 2035


The California Air Resources Board will vote Thursday on a measure banning new gasoline car sales in the state by 2035.
Board member Daniel Sperling told CNN he is "99.9 percent" confident the new rules will be approved, calling the move "monumental. This is the most important thing that CARB has done in the last 30 years. It's important not just for California, but it's important for the country and the world." This comes two years after California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed an executive order mandating that by 2035, all new vehicles sold in the state must be zero emission.
If the measure passes as expected, beginning with 2026 models, 35 percent of new cars, small pickup trucks, and SUVs sold in California will have to be zero emission. The quota will increase every year until 2035, when it reaches 100 percent. This does not affect used vehicles.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sperling told CNN there has been "surprisingly little debate" from car companies, and "many of them have already made announcement about how they're converting totally to electric vehicles." California could lead the way for states in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest, Sperling said, which is "a big part of the U.S. market. Even if the feds don't move on a regulatory perspective, a big chunk of the country will be moving forward."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
The worst coral bleaching event breaks records
The Explainer Bleaching has now affected 84% of the world's coral reefs
-
Why UK scientists are trying to dim the Sun
In The Spotlight The UK has funded controversial geoengineering techniques that could prove helpful in slowing climate change
-
Electric ferries are becoming the next big environmental trend
Under the Radar From Hong Kong to Lake Tahoe, electric ferries are the new wave
-
US proposes eroding species protections
Speed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Ukraine is experiencing an 'ecocide' and wants Russia to pay
Under the radar The environment is a silent victim of war
-
How wild horses are preventing wildfires in Spain
Under The Radar The animals roam more than 5,700 hectares of public forest, reducing the volume of combustible vegetation in the landscape
-
Scientists invent a solid carbon-negative building material
Under the radar Building CO2 into the buildings