NEW DELHI: The state of California has come up with a complete ban on the sale of gasoline-powered cars by the start of the year 2035 marking it as a historic step in fight against climate change. The state is known for being the most populous and the centre of the U.S car culture, a complete ban on gas-powered automobiles will lead the automakers to focus more on cleaner energy until the sale of only zero-emission cars.
A collective vote was carried out on the set of targets placed by the state’s Governor Gavin Newsom on carbon removal and clean fuels in the transportation sector. The decision is significant because it is expected to be followed by the rest of the states, including New York and Pennsylvania.
The state’s transportation sector is the largest source of its greenhouse gas emissions, which has times and again resulted in in record-breaking wildfires, air pollution, and droughts. To combat climate change, the policy has decided to phase out gas cars over time, requiring 35% of the total new vehicle sales to be powered by batteries or hydrogen by 2026 and 68% by 2030. This will not ban people from driving gasoline-powered cars, but instead from buying and selling them on the market after 2035. The automakers will also be allowed to produce 20% plug-in hybrids which have gas engines by 2035.
According to the state officials of California, more than 16% of new zero-emission cars were sold in the year 2022, a hike from 12.41% in the year 2021 and 7.78% in 2020. The goal is to switch to 100% renewable energy by 2045 which will result in fewer cardiopulmonary deaths and help fight climate change.