Gavin Newsom, the Governor in California made history when he signed an executive order to halt the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles in the state by 2035. The new law is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight the global threat of climate change. In so doing, the order set in motion major transformations of the state’s roads that will cause an impact on everything from the power grid to our home garages.
California is currently leading on the number of electric cars on its roads. According to California’s new Car Dealers Association, the estimated 727,000 EV cars accounted for roughly 5.1% of all new cars registered in California in 2019. This is still a relatively smaller fraction of the general population.
With respect to this, the governor’s ambitious move undoubtedly raised some questions among the state’s residents. We shall look to answer some of them below.
What Does This Mean for Gas Car Owners?
Similar to installing a solar panel to your home, the initiative is undoubtedly good for the environment and sounds promising and all. But where does this leave current gasoline-powered cars?
Fortunately for car dealers and gasoline car enthusiasts, the governor’s order has no major impact on the existing vehicles. The order is specifically aimed at the sale of “new” vehicles by 2035. This means you can still buy hybrid cars and gas-powered vehicles for the next 15 years. They can even still be sold after 2035, as long as they are not new.
The gasoline vehicles will likely still be around for decades to come; only that one won’t be able to buy new models in the state of California. If you love that loud engine’s sound that much, it is possible that you might be able to acquire one from a different state and then drive it into the state.
The Charging Station Situation!
The other major query on the Act is whether there will be enough charging stations to support the influx of these electric vehicles. Well, currently, there are about 25,000 charging stations present in California. In order to keep up, the state will need to invest in hundreds of thousands of more. Therefore, it falls to the companies which build and operate these stations to try and keep pace.
Alternatively, most Electric car owners will likely have their charging stations at home by then. In fact, with the newly updated US billing codes on track, all new build homes will come EV ready, with the order only accelerating the process in the state. The state might have to subsidize the installation of these EV circuits on the older homes as well.
The Opposition From the Federal Government
Previously, the 1970 Clean Air Act, signed by President Nixon, allowed California to set its auto emissions standard independently. This was because it was experiencing worse smog compared to other states, now evident with how the state has been battling wildfires lately.
However, the Trump administration set out to ban this last year, and naturally, the state opposed this in court. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the advance of the order banks on the current elections. If Trump wins the re-election, this level of autonomy could face some stronger opposition. If the democrat candidate Joe Biden wins, it is more likely that the order will follow through.
California’s Clean Energy Future!
Of course, with this, more users would opt to charge cars at home. And you can expect to see a significant rise in electric bills. The best alternative would be to have solar panels pre-installed. With this, you get to take advantage of natural power from the sun, and you can expect some significant relief on your overall utility bill.
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