POLICY CHANGE

Policy

We advance policies to cut gasoline use at speed and scale

Burning gasoline in light duty vehicles in the U.S. accounts for a sixth of U.S. carbon emissions and more than 35% of world gasoline use. Scientists have issued a clear warning: to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we must cut carbon emissions from all sources 50% by 2030, and 100% by 2050. Coltura’s policy work is focused on achieving these near-term and long-term targets by cutting gasoline used by our cars, trucks and SUVs.

Near Term (by 2030) Policies: We have only a few years to make deep cuts in carbon emissions. This means that we need effective ways to reduce large amounts of gasoline consumption right away. Coltura’s research has demonstrated enormous potential to do this by expediting the switch to EVs for the U.S. drivers who are using the most gasoline. The top 10% of U.S. drivers in terms of their gasoline use – “gasoline superusers” – are using around one third of U.S. gasoline, and more than 11% of world gasoline – about as much as all of China!

We still strongly support longer-term policies to cut emissions and get people out of private vehicles altogether (such as new vehicle emissions standards and new gas car phaseouts, urban planning, bike lanes and improved transit), but we must also meet the urgency of this moment to cut gasoline.

CHECK OUT OUR GASOLINE SUPERUSER APPROACH HERE

Our gasoline superuser policy work includes:

a Washington study of gasoline superusers being used to determine that state’s EV incentive policy;
a California bill that would have provided an added EV incentive to lower-income gasoline superusers;
a Vermont law enabling a utility to incentivize superusers to switch to EVs.

Longer Term (by 2050 or sooner) Policies: Coltura is working to end the use of U.S. gasoline altogether by 2040. To that end, we advance state policies targeting 2030 as the date for all new cars to be electric, and mandating all-of-government plans for that to happen, including such considerations as grid upgrades and sufficient EV charging. We built the coalition that passed such a law in Washington State (the “Clean Cars 2030” law). We have been instrumental in other gas car phaseout policies, including:

a 2035 gasoline car phaseout regulation in California;
a Washington law enabling Washington state to join the ZEV Program (requiring automakers to provide an increasing percent of Zero Emission Vehicles or ZEVs reaching 100% by 2035)
a Massachusetts law mandating a government plan (section 80) to achieve 100% of cars sold being zero emission by 2035;
a Rhode Island bill setting a target for all new light duty vehicles to be electric by 2030

Learn More About Superuser Bills

VERMONT

CALIFORNIA

WASHINGTON

Read More About Our Policy Change Work

November 24, 2021

POLL: U.S. VOTERS SUPPORT FULL TRANSITION TO ELECTRIC CARS BY 2030

A new poll from Yale University, George Mason University, and Climate Nexus, commissioned by the nonprofit Coltura, finds that by a 55%-35% margin, voters in the U.S. support requiring all new cars sold in their state to be electric starting in 2030.

June 10, 2021

GASOLINE VEHICLE PHASEOUT ADVANCES AROUND THE WORLD

The EU wants to phase out gas car sales by 2035, and many other countries have announced similar plans.

May 15, 2021

PUBLIC FLEET ELECTRIFICATION

Cities must lead and model the transition from fossil fuels. Electrifying public vehicles is a top priority. With their predictable use patterns, dedicated lots for charging and ability to be branded as clean electric vehicles, city fleets are prime candidates for electrification and taxpayer savings and education. Suitable light duty EVs are already here, and other city vehicles such as work trucks, garbage trucks and transit vehicles are close behind.

January 6, 2021

GOVERNING THE GASOLINE SPIGOT

There are over 130,000 gas stations across the United States. They are the last link in the chain connecting the oil field and the gas-powered vehicles on our streets. Every gallon of gasoline sold adds 20 lbs of carbon dioxide to our atmosphere.

June 14, 2020

Coltura Paper Accepted at World EV Symposium

In a critical step toward meeting vehicle emissions reduction goals, today, 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.

May 15, 2020

CALIFORNIA GASOLINE SALES VOLUMES

Burning gasoline in our cars and trucks is the biggest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for most cities and states. Many local jurisdictions are working to reduce transportation GHGs. Most are using metrics that don’t necessarily correlate to gasoline use, such as electric vehicle adoption, vehicle miles traveled, transit ridership and bike lane additions.

June 15, 2018

CALL FOR A PHASE-OUT OF GASOLINE-POWERED VEHICLES

To prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis, we must move quickly beyond gasoline to clean alternatives. We can’t afford to wait. Transportation powered by gasoline and diesel fuel is America’s single biggest source of carbon emissions, contributing to warming temperatures on land and in the oceans, resulting in unprecedented natural disasters.

June 1, 2018

RECHARGE REQUIRED: WASHINGTON STATE PUBLIC FLEETS NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLE LAW

A new report, Recharge Required, reveals an overwhelming lack of compliance with Washington’s public fleet electrification law, RCW 43.19.648. Less than one percent of the more than 30,000 vehicles owned by the state, cities, counties, and other public entities are electric vehicles (EVs), and only four of the 31 local governmental entities surveyed have plans for electrifying their fleet.

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