The sale of new cars that run on gasoline will be banned in California by 2035, because a plan to combat climate change that involves accelerating the transition to electric vehicles is expected to go into effect this Thursday, August 25.
California will be the first U.S. state to require the sale of vehicles with zero emissions only, declared Margo Oge, an expert in electric vehicles who directed the transportation emissions program of the Environmental Protection Agency during the administrations of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
The transition will be gradual in terms of the percentage of electric vehicles sold in the market. Since currently, 12 percent of new cars on the market generate zero pollutant emissions, it is estimated that by 2026 the figure will rise to 36 percent and by 2030 it will be 68 percent.
California is the largest automotive market in the United States, and a measure of this type can motivate other states in the country to speed up their transition to electric vehicles.
“The climate crisis can be solved if we focus on the big, bold steps needed to stem the tide of carbon pollution,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
South Korea’s Hyundai Motor and local battery makers are grappling with the Biden administration’s landmark climate and energy law, which aims to curb the influence of Chinese companies in the global electric car industry and increase domestic production of electric cars.
The law, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden, requires electric vehicle manufacturers to assemble their cars in North America and rapidly reduce their reliance on China for battery components and materials.
That’s a disaster for Korea: Hyundai and Kia don’t have operating electric car plants in the United States (and Hyundai specifically faces union resistance when it comes to overseas expansion) and Korean battery makers import more than 80 percent of the minerals from China; mines typically take seven years or more to come online.
Japanese automakers are at a similar disadvantage, having invested heavily in the United States but not currently producing electric vehicles there. With the exception of Nissan’s Leaf, no other Japanese electric vehicle models would qualify for subsidies under the new rules.
