It’s official, the state of California has banned the sale of all new gasoline-powered vehicles by the year 2035. The state says that all new vehicles sold in the state by then may not emit greenhouse gases, with an interim goal of 35-percent by 2026 and almost 70-percent by 2030.
This is at best a bait and switch. over 60% of electricity is produced by fossil fuels. So while your car is no longer producing the greenhouse gasses, the production of the electricity is. Most of the non fossil fuel production comes from nuclear power. But CA doesn't like nuclear power. As CNBC reported the state began shutting down their nuclear power plants several years ago which has led to rolling brown and blackouts. In other words CA is unable to produce enough electricity to power their buildings currently. They certainly can't add hundreds of thousands of cars to the grid.
The story from 2020 highlights On Friday, Sept. 10, the U.S. Department of Energy granted the state an emergency order to allow natural gas power plants to operate without pollution restrictions so that California can meet its energy obligations. So in order to keep their electricity flowing they went back to gas.
The new CA law will only refer to new vehicles. Drivers will still be able to drive cars previously owned, as well as purchase older ones that are gas-powered. According to Governor Gavin Newsom, about 16% of cars sold in the state are electric, hybrid or hydrogen-fueled.
California’s not alone – as Washington state is on track to follow California's lead on banning the sale of new gasoline-powered cars. Governor Jay Inslee tweeted Wednesday that the state is ready to adopt California's regulations by the end of this year.
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