Will California's EV Rule Spread to Other States?

Last month California banned the sale of new light duty vehicles powered by internal combustion engines by 2035. Over a dozen other states have the ability to adopt the same rule, but will they? The Associated Press investigates nine of them.

2 minute read

September 7, 2022, 11:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


Electric Cars

Sopotnicki / Shutterstock

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.

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