California has banned the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. Can it get there?

State officials are confident the mandate will work but questions remain about ‘what arguably is the most important transportation policy decision of our lifetime’

In the fall, Gov. Gavin Newsom made headlines by announcing California will prohibit the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. How will the state get there and, more to the point, can it get there?

Officials at the California Air Resources Board — the agency tasked with making Newsom’s goal a regulatory reality — say the target will be achieved within the allotted 15 years. Some auto analysts and dealers have questions, though.

“California does lead the way in EVs (electric vehicles), so it’s not inconceivable,” said Ivan Drury, who studies trends in the automotive industry as a senior manager for Edmunds. “We’re just not there yet. Maybe by 2035, things will be different.”

But Steven Cliff, deputy executive director at the Air Resources Board, known as CARB for short, has no doubts.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/story/2020-12-11/california-has-banned-the-sale-of-new-gasoline-powered-vehicles-by-2035-can-it-get-there