CALIFORNIA ADOPTS ADVANCED CLEAN CARS II REGULATION PHASING OUT GAS CARS BY 2035

In a critical step toward meeting vehicle emissions reduction goals, on August 25, 2022, California adopted the Advanced Clean Cars II program (ACC II), a common-sense approach to cutting climate and air pollution by requiring that all new cars sold in 2035 and beyond are zero-emission vehicles. It sets enforceable standards for the rate at which automakers must convert their offerings to electric and provides certainty for other EV market players concerning the timing of electrification. Read more details on California’s 2035 gas car ban. 

Coltura has been at the forefront of policies aimed at phasing out our dependence on gasoline. In 2017, Coltura became the first organization to propose a gas car phaseout in the U.S. in an op-ed published in the San Francisco Chronicle. In early 2018, Coltura led a coalition in support of California’s first-ever gasoline phaseout bill, AB1745, introduced by Assembly member Phil Ting.  In 2021 and 2022, Coltura led advocacy for Clean Cars 2030, a bill passed in the Washington State Legislature in 2021 and obtained Governor Inslee’s signature in 2022, setting a 2030 target for all new light duty vehicles sold in the state to be electric, and importantly, a mandate for an integrated and aligned government approach to meeting the target.

Clean Cars 2030 and ACC II are complementary policies which should be pursued together. In order to meet the ambitious and timely goal of weaning cars off of gasoline, we need states to aim high and put major resources into planning for the transition. Clean Cars 2030 has a track record of generating strong public support and will increase the emissions reductions ACC II can achieve. A strong Clean Cars 2030 campaign will provide momentum for states to enact ACC II and will backstop ACC II in the event of political or legal setbacks. It is the last, best chance to achieve 100% electrification of all new vehicles by 2030.