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“California on Thursday moved to require all new vehicles sold in the state by 2035 to be either electric or plug-in electric hybrids… The California Air Resources Board [CARB] voted on Thursday to approve the new rules, which set yearly rising zero- emission vehicle rules starting in 2026.” Reuters
The right criticizes the plan, arguing that it is unrealistic given California’s energy woes.
“Prices for electric vehicles are substantially higher than for equivalent gas-powered models. The average EV is about $10,000 more expensive upfront, a massive amount for the average household and an insuperable one for low-income households. Even the new, more restrictive $7,500 per vehicle tax credit doesn’t fully eliminate the upfront price disadvantage that discourages EV purchase…
“[Furthermore] Gas-powered cars can run for hundreds of miles without needing refueling, and filling the tank takes only a few minutes. EVs are catching up on the ability to go long distances, but they can’t come close to matching the refueling advantage gas-powered cars have. Even with a Level 2 charger, which itself costs hundreds — or thousands — of dollars to purchase and install in one’s home, it takes hours to fully recharge a drained battery…
“California’s insistence on top-down mandates is all the more surprising given its own checkered experience with such measures. The state promulgated a Low Emission Vehicle mandate in 1990, intending to drive demand and technological change in gas-powered cars to lower conventional pollutant emissions. The rule flopped spectacularly as demand for the new cars remained low and manufacturers could not economically produce the desired technological improvements.”
Henry Olsen, Washington Post
“Over the last several years, [California] has repeatedly failed to meet energy demands during heat waves, leading to rolling blackouts. That is before transitioning roughly 16 million drivers from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles. Where all that new energy is going to come from is anyone’s guess…
“There is plenty of time between now and 2035 to delay this planned ban. But whether California truly cares about its zero-carbon goals is plain to all to see. If the state did care, it would not have carried out a zealous campaign to shut down its nuclear plants. The state’s last plant is set to shutter in 2025, even though it still provides 9% of the state's power… The state has decided to commit itself to the whims of climate activists, even while it can’t keep the lights on for millions of residents.”
Zachary Faria, Washington Examiner
“California’s existing power grid is so outdated that it isn't ‘ready to take on the level of electrification,’ their green new policies require. The grid cannot handle the solar mandates California has imposed…
“By requiring its residents buy expensive electric cars in the years to come, hitting them with the highest income taxes in the country and all its other problems, California’s green-energy car ban will drive even more Californians out of the state. If you don’t think that matters to you, don’t forget, as I wrote recently, Newsom wants to be your president. So, if you think things are bad now under President Joe Biden, think how bad it could be if Newsom is elected.”
Tom Del Beccaro, Fox News
The left praises the plan, arguing that it is necessary to mitigate climate change.
The left praises the plan, arguing that it is necessary to mitigate climate change.
“These standards are probably the most transformative action ever taken by the powerful regulatory agency that traces its origins back to Arie Jan Haagen-Smit’s 1950s discovery that automobiles were the culprit behind Los Angeles’ thick, lung-searing smog. California established the nation’s first tailpipe emissions standard in 1966, and for more than 50 years regulators have worked to continually tighten them, saving innumerable lives through dramatically cleaner air. Despite decades of progress, California still suffers the nation’s worst smog…
“State regulators predict electric vehicles will cost about the same as gas-fueled models by 2030, if not sooner… Phasing out gas-powered cars is expected to slash planet-warming and smog-forming emissions over the next two decades, prevent more than 1,200 early deaths from air pollution and offer the greatest health benefits to people living near freeways and other transportation hubs, including low-income communities of color.”
Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times
“Most of the world’s biggest automakers, from Ford to Bentley to GM to Volvo, were already working to phase out their gas-fueled stock by 2025 or 2030 or 2040. Consumer demand for EVs has never been higher… The new California rules [are] less a threatening deadline than a reasonable, workable, legally binding guidepost…
“It’s already the case that 16 percent of new cars sold in California so far this year were zero-emission vehicles. That’s already a rapid shift from EV sales in 2019, which only made up 7.4 percent of the state’s auto market at the time. According to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation’s own reports, sales of EVs in every single state increased by some amount in 2021, with significant above-average jumps in states like Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, and even Oklahoma…
“It’s also the case that California’s ban doesn’t remove gasoline-fueled cars from the streets altogether, but merely ensures new gas-based engines will be gradually displaced.”
Nitish Pahwa, Slate
“California has long held the pole position in the auto industry… CARB [has] special permission from the federal government to set tougher air quality rules for all vehicles, rules that 17 other states have adopted as well. Automakers don’t like making different cars for different states, so California sets the de facto standard for the country and other parts of the world…
“Electric cars aren’t the only way to decarbonize transportation. Nearly three-quarters of vehicle trips in the US are less than 10 miles, so getting people out of cars and onto buses, bikes, scooters, and trains would take a bigger bite out of greenhouse gas emissions than just electrification. That, too, will require more incentives and investment in infrastructure. Still, California’s deadline to get new fossil fuel cars off of its roads is an important signal for the auto industry.”
Umair Irfan, Vox
