California bans the sale of new fossil fuel vehicles starting in 2035

The California state government has approved Thursday to suspend from 2035 the sale of new vehicles that run on mobile fuels, based, they have argued, on the urgent need to address climate change and reduce pollution.

“It’s a great day not just for California but for the whole world,” celebrated Lauren Sanchez, climate advisor to Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. It is a historic move after decades of statewide efforts to curb pollution from these vehicles.

California has led attempts to regulate vehicle emissions within the United States since the government’s California Air Resources Board (CARB) began its fight against the notorious yellow smog so prevalent on the state’s landscape in the 1970s.

The U.S. Congress authorized California to establish its own rules under the so-called Federal Air Quality Act in 1966. Those rules have subsequently inspired legislation in more than a dozen states.

The measure forces automakers to phase out production of gasoline- and diesel-powered cars in favor of others that run on cleaner energy. For experts, it is “the most important and transformative action CARB has ever taken.”

If manufacturers do not comply with the legislation, they could be fined up to $20,000 for each vehicle that does not comply with the new conditions, CARB said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The electric car has gained a lot of popularity in California in recent years. In 2012, less than 2 percent of new vehicles sold were of this type. However, by 2018 they were already 7 percent of the fleet being purchased, and today it is 16 percent.