The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved California’s plan to phase out and ban the sale of new cars and light trucks with gasoline engines by 2035.
According to a report by ABC News, the EPA has given California the necessary permits to implement the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulation, which was adopted by the California Air Resources Board in 2022.
Reducing pollution and switching to electric vehicles
In addition to the auto plan, the EPA approved California’s plan to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from heavy-duty vehicles, with the goal of reducing smog. The country plans to initially reduce NOx pollution by 75 percent, and then by 90 percent in the following years.
The ACC II regulation sets out a detailed timetable for the phase-out of vehicles with internal combustion engines. By 2026, 35 percent of car sales in California must be electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids or models with hydrogen fuel cells. This threshold rises to 68 percent by 2030, before reaching the goal of 100 percent electric vehicle sales by 2035. Consumers and dealers will still be able to buy, sell and drive used internal combustion vehicles and hybrids beyond that period. The president of the California Air Resources Board, Liane Randolph, estimates that ACC II could reduce pollution by 50 percent by 2040.
Governor Newsom’s reaction
California Governor Gavin Newsom praised the ACC II decision and regulation as evidence that “California can meet the challenge of protecting people by cleaning up the air and reducing pollution.”
Source:
PCpress.rs / Engadget
Photo: Autoblog.rs archive / GMC
Source: autoblog.rs
