California to Ban Gas Vehicles by 2035

­As per usual, California is taking the first steps in the renewable energy marathon.

Fresh on the heels of China outlawing pure gas vehicles in Hainan by 2030, the world’s fifth-largest economy is following suit, albeit on a slower timeline.

With the People’s Republic, the move serves a practical purpose for the world’s biggest polluter. 

But even in China, their EV market penetration is much higher than ours, with electrified vehicles accounting for 25% of new vehicle sales and pure electric vehicles 20%.

By contrast, EVs in America stand at 5.6% of the total market, with electrified vehicles at 12.6%.

So it makes sense for the world’s fifth-largest economy — and by far the biggest in the U.S. — to take concrete steps to promote EVs.

California already plays host to 42% of the country’s total EVs and by far the nation’s highest number of EV registrations (though California’s gargantuan population plays a role in both those figures).

Under Cali’s phased approach, zero-emission vehicles will account for 35% of new auto sales by 2026, with 51% 2028, 68% by 2030, and 100% by 2035.

And the significance of the move wasn’t lost on Governor Newsom, who called the new rule “one of the most significant steps to the elimination of the tailpipe as we know it…our kids are going to act like it’s a rotary phone, or changing the channel on a television.”

A handful of states, among them Washington, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Vermont, are expected to introduce similar legislation.