The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved California's plan to phase out and ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars and light trucks by 2035. reported that the Environmental Protection Agency granted California the exemptions needed to pass the law. developed and approved by the California Air Resources Board in 2022.
The Environmental Protection Agency also approved California's plan to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from heavy vehicles to reduce the amount of smog in the air. The state will require an initial 75 percent reduction in NOx emissions, followed by a 90 percent reduction over several years.
ACC II provides an annual phase-out plan for the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles. The plan sets a deadline of 2026, by which 35 percent of vehicle sales in the state must be electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids or hydrogen fuel cell models. Then, by 2030, the sales threshold for electric vehicles will rise to 68 percent, and by 2035, a maximum sales level of 100 percent will be reached. Consumers and dealerships will still be able to buy, sell and drive used ICE cards and hybrid cards up to ACC II. California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph has estimated that ACC II could lead to a 50 percent reduction in pollution by 2040.
California Governor Gavin Newsom welcomed the decision and ACC II's as proof that “California can rise to the challenge of protecting our people by cleaning up our air and reducing pollution.”