Will California's EV Rule Spread to Other States?

August 25th may have marked the beginning of the end of the internal combustion engine vehicle in up to 17 states, making up about 35% of new light duty vehicle sales in the U.S.

On that day, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted "the trailblazing Advanced Clean Cars II rule that sets California on a path to rapidly growing the zero-emission car, pickup truck and SUV market and deliver cleaner air and massive reductions in climate-warming pollution," according to the board's press release.

Steve Karnowski, the Minnesota State Capitol reporter for The Associated Press, along with colleagues based in Denver, Portland, Ore., and Harrisburg, looked at some of the 17 states that have adopted California's vehicle standards, known as the Advanced Clean Cars Program, under Section 177 of the Federal Clean Air Act.

He reports that five: Washington, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Vermont are expected to adopt the incremental sales ban of internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) beginning with the 2026 models.

Sales of new zero-emission vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in California will start with 35% that year, build to 68% in 2030, and reach 100% in 2035, according to CARB.

Colorado and Pennsylvania probably won't, according to Karnowski.

Virginia won't follow in California's footsteps, yet. The state went from blue to light red in the 2021 state election, although Democrats retain control of the upper chamber, so Gov. Glenn Youngkin might have to fight to prevent the adoption of the rule.

Missing states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Rhode Island.

Additional reading:

• PBS NewsHour: "California’s move to ban sales of new gasoline-fueled cars could spread to other states," Sept. 5, 2022
• Fox News, "California’s electric car mandate could spread to over a dozen states: California's gas car ban faces firm opposition in states across the country," Sept. 4, 2022

Related Planetizen posts: 

• The Beginning of the End of the Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle? August 29, 2022
• Gone by 2035: Gas-Powered Car Sales Have an Expiration Date in California, September 24, 2020
• Phasing Out the Internal Combustion Engine No Easy Task, September 18, 2018
• Two posts during the Trump era tagged, "Advanced Clean Cars Program."

Reminder: Unlike Washington state, California's ICE Vehicle sales ban stems from an executive order, not legislation, though not for lack of trying:

• California to Study a Ban on Sales of Cars with Internal Combustion Engines, June 19, 2019
• Legislation to End Sales of Gas and Diesel Passenger Vehicles in California Reintroduced, Dec. 10, 2018
• Momentum Builds to Ban Sales of Gas and Diesel-Powered Cars in California, November 10, 2017