California to Ban New Gas-Powered Car Sales by 2035

California is expected to adopt a 13-year deadline for the end of the sale of new, internal combustion-powered vehicles.

CARB, the California Air Resources Board, will vote today to require all new cars sold in the state to be powered by electricity or hydrogen by 2035, with an intermediary requirement of 35% of new cars sold to be electrically powered by 2026 with increasing requirements in 2028 and 2030.

The state accounts for 10% of the U.S. car market. Significant equity questions remain, in terms of upfront purchasing costs, and charging access for tenants, especially those in multi-unit buildings.

As reported by the AP:

Ensuring access to charging stations is also key to ramping up electric vehicle sales. The infrastructure bill passed by Congress last year provides $5 billion for states to build charges every 50 miles (80 kilometers) along interstate highways. [California Governor] Newsom, meanwhile, has pledged to spend billions to boost zero-emission vehicle sales, including by adding chargers in low-income neighborhoods.

Driving an electric vehicle long distances today, even in California, requires careful planning about where to stop and charge, said Mary Nichols, former chair of the California Air Resources Board. The money from the state and federal government will go along way to boosting that infrastructure and making electric cars a more convenient option, she said.

“This is going to be a transformative process and the mandate for vehicle sales is only one piece of it,” she said.

For a deeper dive:

The Sacramento Bee, AP, Bloomberg, Times-Herald, E&E News, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Verge, ABC, The Hill, The Guardian, POLITICO Pro

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