On Thursday, a California regulatory body approved rules to end sales of only gas-powered cars in the state by 2035, according to The Sacramento Bee.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved regulations that would require 35% of vehicles sold in California to be electric by 2026. By 2035, all cars would need to be electric, the outlet noted.
In addition, there’s a $20,000 fine per vehicle for not meeting the rules for car manufacturers.
The vote was expected because, as the paper noted, Governor Gavin Newsom controls the majority of the board, and he issued an executive order in 2020 that required all of the cars sold in California to not put out emissions by 2035.
But, it was still revolutionary: California, often a green leader, is set to be the first state to ban selling gas-powered vehicles.
“This is transformative,” Daniel Sperling, who is on CARB and is the founding director of the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, told the Bee.
You will still be able to drive a gas guzzler in the golden state. But, it will become harder to do so, the outlet noted.
The state will certainly face challenges as these rules go into effect. One, there are likely not enough electric charging stations in the state, and two, it might be harder for lower-income people to buy EVs, the paper noted.
There are about 43,000 electric charging stations in the U.S., per Reuters. The average electric car costs $66,000, according to Electrek.
