Car Fule

Last August, California has made the decision to say goodbye to cars with internal combustion engines in 2035. Last summer, the American State passed legislation imposing increasingly restrictive limits on the sale and circulation of thermal cars, until their definitive prohibition within 12 years, as within the European Union.

Today, the State of California wants to go even further and calls on the Biden government to give final approval to the fleet decarbonization plan. California needs Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval to implement this strategy.

Arm wrestling to come with Washington?

The request addressed to the EPA by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) mainly concerns the possibility of implementing the various stages that will lead to the definitive cessation of sales of thermal models in 2035. “Motorized transport is the biggest source of emissions in California”said Steven Cliff, CEO of CARB, “it is therefore important that electric vehicles completely replace thermal vehicles”.

CA continues to lead the way:

“Experts said the new California rule, in both its stringency and reach, could stand alongside the Washington law as one of the world’s most important climate change policies.” https://t.co/l19OOcsLgF

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) August 24, 2022

Last summer, California Governor Gavin Newsom described the bill as “the act decreeing the end of the heat engine”. But without the green light from Washington, it will not be possible to implement this strategy.

Until today, Joe Biden has repeatedly refused to set a date for stopping the sale of thermal cars. It remains to be seen whether he will change his position, a few months before a new presidential election, knowing that Americans are particularly attached to their automotive industry.

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Go step by step

The law enacted by California also provides for a number of intermediate steps. It requires, for example, that at least 35% of cars sold are zero emissions by 2026 and that this percentage reaches 68% before the end of the decade.

• 2026: sales of electric cars: 35% of the total
• 2030: sales of electric cars: 68% of the total
• 2035: 100% of electric car sales

California, which has always been more sensitive to the environmental cause than the other states in the country, wishes to be the standard bearer for this new approach. But John Bozzella, president of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an association that brings together representatives of almost all American automakers, insists on the need to approach the problem from a broader perspective.

“The requirements imposed by California state law are inherently realistic and achievable”he said in an interview, “but there are many factors to consider. In addition to inflation, we must also take into account the availability of cars on the market, the evolution of the price of future models and the distribution of charging stations. »