California regulators have approved a measure that would require 15.4 percent of all new vehicles sold in the state to be electric, fuel-cell or plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2025. The measure was approved earlier on Friday by the California Air Resources Board.
Part of California’s Advanced Clean Car program, the state’s air resources board claims the measure will reduce smog-forming emissions 75 percent by 2025. CARB also says the rule will cut CO2 emissions from cars by 34 percent between 2015 and 2025.
The zero-emissions mandate would apply to virtually every major automaker selling in California, including BMW, Daimler, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Volkswagen, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Toyota and Nissan. About 1.4 million electric, fuel-cell and plug-in hybrid vehicles would need to be sold in the state to comply with the 15.4 percent rule.
Ten other states plan to adopt California’s rules, raising the nationwide sales requirement of alternatively fueled vehicles to 3 million units.
Industry opposition
Although most automakers would agree that zero-emissions vehicles are the future of the industry, they aren’t exactly onboard with California’s timeline. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents a number of major automakers, has spoken out against the measure, calling it a “disconnect with the marketplaceâ€
“Automakers have invested literally billions of dollars in these technologies, so we have a real stake in trying to sell as many as possible,” Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, told Automotive News. “But no one knows what that number is going to be. And it doesn’t help anyone if those cars sit on lots unsold.”
California’s emissions rules are not part of the 2017-2025 CAFE rules put into place by the Obama administration.
