The California Air Resources Board voted Thursday to require all new cars and light trucks sold by 2035 to be zero-emission vehicles. The vote came as the board cited an urgent need to address climate change.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s climate advisor, a person called Lauren Sanchez, called it a “huge day not only for California but the entire world.”
The mandate will force automakers to phase out gasoline and diesel cars, SUVs, minivans and pickup trucks.
The new rules require 35 percent of new cars be zero emission by 2026, 68 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2035.
It will still be legal to buy and sell used fossil-fuel cars and light trucks despite the rule. Heavy trucks that burn diesel fuel will have an extra 10 years before being banned.
Up to 20 percent of a carmaker’s sales can be plug-in hybrids, which include both electric motors and gas engines — as long as the minimum battery range is 50 miles or more. Those would still count as zero-emission.
