California Board Votes to Phase Out Gasoline-only Cars in State by 2035

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted Thursday (August 25) to adopt sweeping regulations to require all new cars sold in the most populous U.S. state to be electric or plug-in hybrid by 2035, a move that will likely speed the end of gas-powered vehicles.

The rules, which have been adopted by more than a dozen U.S. states, must still be approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The CARB regulations require all new vehicles sold in the state by 2035 to be either electric or plug-in electric hybrids that could also have gasoline engines.

California Governor Gavin Newsom first announced the plan to phase out vehicles that run on gasoline by 2035 in September 2020. Once the board votes to approve the new rules, which will set yearly rising zero emission vehicle rules starting in 2026, the Biden administration must approve it before it can take effect.

California is ahead of federal vehicles emissions rules, which currently only extend to 2026 and do not set yearly requirements for zero emission models. More than a dozen other states have adopted California’s zero emission requirements.