California is on the way to Ban the Sale of New Gasoline Cars by 2035: The decision, which is expected to take effect by 2035, could accelerate a broader transition to electric vehicles as many other states follow California’s standards. The major climate regulation to be proposed by the car-clogged state could have far-reaching effects on the auto industry.

California regulators are set to vote on Thursday on a sweeping plan to limit and eventually ban the sale of gasoline vehicles, state officials said.

The new policy, detailed at a press conference Wednesday morning, is widely expected to accelerate the global transition to electric vehicles. Not only is California the largest auto market in the United States, but it is common for over a dozen other states to follow California’s example in setting their own vehicle emissions standards.

If these states comply, and most are expected to enact similar rules, the limit will apply to about one-third of the U.S. automobile market.

The proposed regulations set a tight deadline to meet this goal, forcing automakers to significantly increase the production of clean vehicles from 2026 onwards. From there, requirements will only accelerate until only zero-emission passenger cars, pickups and SUVs will be available, and a limited number of plug-in hybrids will be available statewide by 2035.

California’s aggressive schedule comes shortly after Biden signed a climate package that will spend tens of billions of dollars to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.

California is on the way to Ban the Sale of New Gasoline Cars by 2035

“This is huge,” said Margo Orge, an electric vehicle expert who led the Environmental Protection Agency’s transportation emissions program under Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Told. As more states adopt their own versions of these guidelines, “it will move the market and encourage innovation,” she said.

The rule, issued by the California Air Resources Board, requires all new vehicles sold in the state to be carbon-free by 2035. The regulation also sets an interim target for 35% of new passenger cars sold to be zero-emission by 2026. This requirement will increase to 68% by 2030.

Transportation is the nation’s top source of planet-warming greenhouse-gas emissions.

California Governor Gavin Newsom called the new rule “one of the most significant steps to getting rid of exhaust pipes we know of.”

“Our kids are going to act like it’s a rotary phone, or changing the channel on a television,” Governor Newsom said in an interview.

John Bozzella, president of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major automakers in the U.S. and abroad, said automakers want to see more electric vehicles on the road, but they can’t meet California’s mandate. “It’s very difficult,” he said.

“Whether these requirements are realistic or achievable depends directly on external factors such as inflation, charging and fuel infrastructure, supply chains, labor force, the availability and pricing of critical minerals, and ongoing semiconductor shortages. It’s related,” Bozzella said in an email.

California’s ban comes as gas prices continue to fall, dropping to a national average of $3.90 a gallon this week. Still, Newsom said the fact that prices soared after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underscored the urgency of “breaking away from the oil dictatorship and dependence on the oil market.”

California regulators say the new rule will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles by more than 50% by 2040 compared to levels expected without the directive. According to California Air Resources Board Chairman Leanne Randolph, this means he will avoid 395 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions or burn 915 million barrels of oil in that period. Equivalent.

The impact could extend to 16 other states, large and small. This is because these states have traditionally followed California.

California has now submitted a final rule to the Environmental Protection Agency requesting a waiver, which the Biden administration is likely to grant. An agency spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.