The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved California’s plan to phase out and ban sales of new gas-powered cars and light trucks by 2035. The EPA has reportedly granted California the waivers necessary to implement the law Developed and approved by the California Air Resources Board in 2022.
The EPA also approved California’s plan to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from heavy-duty vehicles to reduce the amount of smog in the air. The state initially requires a 75 percent reduction in NOx pollution, followed by a 90 percent reduction several years later.
ACC II provides an annual plan for phasing out the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles. The plan sets a 2026 deadline by which 35 percent of the state’s auto sales must be electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids or hydrogen fuel cell models. Then the electric vehicle sales threshold rises to 68 percent by 2030 before reaching the final sales requirement of 100 percent by 2035. Consumers and dealers can continue to buy, sell and drive used ICE and hybrid cards until ACC II. California Air Resources Board Chairwoman Liane Randolph estimated that ACC II could result in a 50 percent reduction in pollution by 2040.
California Governor Gavin Newsom welcomed the decision and ACC II as evidence that “California can rise to the challenge of protecting our people by cleaning our air and reducing pollution.”
