California authorities will vote on Thursday to implement a comprehensive plan to limit and eventually outlaw the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles, according to state officials. The governor of the state has referred to this decision as the beginning of the end for the internal combustion engine.
It is anticipated that the new legislation and press conference will quicken the global shift toward electric automobiles. In addition to having the biggest auto market in the country, California also sets the benchmark for auto emissions in more than a dozen other states. The limits would apply to approximately a third of the US auto market if those states follow through on their plans, and the majority are anticipated to do so.
In an ambitious move that will transform the U.S. auto business by accelerating the shift to more environmentally friendly vehicles, California is poised to set a 2035 deadline for all new cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in the state to be powered by electricity or hydrogen.
The proposal, which establishes the nation’s most stringent timetable for shifting away from gas-powered cars, will be put to a vote by the California Air Resources Board on Thursday. However, it doesn’t make such cars obsolete.
After 2035, people can still purchase used cars and drive gas-powered automobiles. The proposal also permits plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can run on both gas and batteries, to account for one-fifth of sales after 2035.