California Proposes to Ban the Sale of Gas Cars by 2040

Keeping good on an earlier promise, California assemblymember Phil Ting has introduced a bill that would greatly affect the automotive landscape in the state, not to mention the environment. If passed, the bill will ban the sale of new cars powered by fossil fuels by 2040.

Under the proposed legislation, the state would only allow the sale of zero-emission vehicles such as battery electric or hydrogen cars. It’s part of the state’s goal for 2050 to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent from 1990 levels.

Last month, Ting revealed his plans for introducing such a bill. “Until you set a deadline, nothing gets done,” he told Bloomberg at the time. California is far from the only government interested in such a ban. China, the world’s largest auto market, is looking to ban new gas and diesel cars. By 2040, France and Britain will ban the sale of these vehicles.

“We’re at an inflection point: we’ve got to address the harmful emissions that cause climate change,” Ting said in a statement. “Achieving the goal of electrification of transportation is crucial for the health of our people and the planet.”

The bill excludes commercial vehicles larger than 10,000 pounds as well as vehicles owned by people from another state moving into California. Vehicles powered by fossil fuels are responsible for nearly 40 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, Ting notes.

Electric vehicles still make up a small portion of overall car sales in the state, according to recent data. Only 1.9 percent of cars sold in California in 2016 were EVs. Nearly 300,000 electric vehicles are on the road in the state today.

Source: Asssemblymember Phil Ting District 19 website, Bloomberg