California has enacted rules that halt sales of new petrol-powered vehicles by 2035, as the US state that has been a bellwether on environmental policy takes aim at its largest source of carbon emissions.
A carmaker trade group described the target as “extremely challenging”. Even as California leads the nation in electric vehicle sales, they still account for less than a fifth of the market there.
The California Air Resources Board voted 14-0 to approve the regulation on Thursday. Starting in 2026, 35 per cent of the new vehicles sold in California must not emit tailpipe pollution. The target rises each year, hitting 68 per cent in 2030 and 100 per cent in 2035, with a small share allowed to be plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.