US West Coast aligns to ban new gas cars by 2035

Dan Smith MARCH 6, 2024

We are currently aiming to end sales of new gasoline vehicles by 2035 across the West Coast of the United States. Specifically, Washington and Oregon recently enacted regulations requiring new vehicles to be nearly emission-free by 2035. These plans to allow continued sales of plug-in hybrids that also run on gasoline are in line with targets already set in California.

Both states have already followed California's lead by adopting state emissions standards that are stricter than federal standards, albeit at slightly different rates.

Traffic on I-5 in Seattle

Washington began adopting California rules in 2020 after the move was widely supported in 2019. We backed that up with legislation earlier this year to end the sale of gasoline vehicles, but full implementation of the California rule has yet to take place.

Oregon, a longtime supporter of California's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate mandating the sale of EVs, finalized adoption of the California rule this week. This forms a kind of West Coast EV bloc that automakers will find it increasingly difficult to ignore.

Oregon was also one of the early leaders in fast-charging sites per capita and per EV, and last year began replacing the decade-old West Coast Electric Highway with a second-generation charging facility. . So we are on track to keep up with the growth of EVs.

Electric Avenue charging station in Portland, Oregon [photo: Portland General Electric]

However, California has taken the lead with a 2020 executive order that effectively bans the sale of new gasoline passenger cars and light trucks that do not rely on electrification. This garnered significant support from state dealers, as the percentage of all-electric vehicles in the state topped 15% earlier this year, up from his 5.1% in 2019.

The adoption of these Advanced Clean Cars II rules behind EV mandates also calls for higher electric mileage for plug-in hybrids.

2023 Toyota Prius Prime (Euro spec)

Some states have established intermediate positions. For example, Colorado, which has aligned with California on emission rules, recently issued a comprehensive regulatory body to facilitate the transition to EVs within the state, which does not yet include California's adoption of ACC II rules. introduced a plan.

That said, Vermont is already in line with mandates adopted by West Coast states. And this week, all of Canada announced her own proposed 100% ZEV sales target by 2035. This is essentially in line with the rules of British Columbia and Quebec, which already make up his 35% of the country's market.

With EVs and plug-in hybrids becoming the norm in new vehicles and petrol models fading from the mainstream, automakers may see the shift in North America becoming more urgent, even though there is no national mandate. Hmm.

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With additional report by Bengt Halvorson