A Dozen New Laws to Spur Sales of Zero Emission Vehicles in California

As a result of Tuesday's bill-signings, electric vehicles (EVs) will continue to drive in carpool lanes and may soon be able to charge their vehicles at state parks and beaches as part of a pilot program. EVs could also charge on city streets should a city decide to authorize curbside chargers.

Whether the new laws will stem the increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, blamed in part not so much to fleet composition but the increase in vehicle-miles-traveled, may have to wait till the new greenhouse gas inventory report issued by the California Air Resources Board.

Joseph Bebon describes the remaining eight bills (six listed below) signed by Gov. Brown for NGT News, an online news site covering alternative fuel vehicles.

• Brown signed A.B.739, which requires at least 15% of specified heavy-duty vehicles newly purchased by state agencies to be zero-emission vehicle (ZEVs) beginning in 2025 and at least 30% of those vehicles to be ZEVs beginning in 2030. The bill was authored by State Assemblymember Ed Chau, D-Monterey Park.
• S.B.498, authored by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and sponsored by NextGen America, a nonprofit headed by California businessman and philanthropist Tom Steyer, strengthens and codifies the light-duty vehicle fleet purchase requirements currently included in Brown's 2012 executive order setting targets for zero-emission vehicles. 
• A.B.615 by Assemblymember Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove: Extends the income caps for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project to continue providing air quality and GHG reduction benefits through programs that encourage the purchase of ZEVs.
• A.B.1073 by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella: Extends the [20 percent] requirement for funding of early deployment of [zero and near-zero emissions] heavy-duty trucks as part of California’s Clean Truck, Bus and Off-Road Vehicle program

Not all bills specifically promote electric vehicles. Some target older, more polluting vehicles, and ensure they are replaced with cleaner ones:

• A.B.188 "requires the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to make older, high-polluting pickup trucks eligible for replacement under the state vehicle retirement and replacement program," according to author Assemblymember Rudy Salas Jr., D-Bakersfield.
• A.B.630 by Assemblymember Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove: Codifies a clean-car program that benefits low-income residents by helping them replace high-polluting vehicles with cleaner and more efficient vehicles.

The ultimate legislation, to simply "ban the sale of new cars powered by internal-combustion engines after 2040" is under consideration by Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), reports Alexei Koseff on Sept. 29 for The Sacramento Bee. Gov. Brown has expressed interest in enacting such a ban.

Hat tip to AASHTO Daily Transportation Update.