TheFutureofCars.net

The California Air Resources Board voted 9-0 in favor of new fuel emission rules last Friday, with a goal of putting 1.4 million zero emission vehicles (ZEV) on the road by 2025.  That means one out of seven California vehicles will be zero or very-low emission vehicles, a sharp increase from current market penetration.  Ten other states are considering similar rules, which could mean a huge boost for adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids, the vehicles most likely to meet the standard.

In line with the grand bargain on fuel economy and auto emissions struck by the Obama Administration in 2009 and again in 2011, the CARB rules track  federal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions between 2017 and 2025.  But California adds ZEVs as well as tougher smog rules, and a requirement that oil companies provide infrastructure for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Board chair Mary Nichols says the move will “create thousands of new jobs, transforming California into the clean car capital of the world.”  Automakers “voiced strong support” for the new rules, reports Bloomberg, while still hedging about whether consumers will accept the new vehicles.  Auto dealers are once again naysayers, reprising their dissenting role in U.S. fuel economy hearings earlier this month.

Home town-coverage of CARB in the LA Times here; more detail at HybridCars.com, GreenCarReports, and The Environmental News Service.