California Takes Significant Step Toward Adopting Historic Standards That Will Eliminate Pollution from New Cars by 2035

(April 13, 2022) The California Air Resources Board (CARB) just moved the state one step closer to eliminating pollution from new cars and passenger trucks by 2035 with its proposed new Advanced Clean Car II Standards yesterday evening.

“The proposed standards are one of the most consequential state actions ever taken to reduce climate pollution,” said EDF senior attorney Alice Henderson. “When adopted, these historic standards will reduce harmful air pollution and save thousands of lives, save Californians hard-earned money at the gas pump, strengthen domestic energy security, and create American jobs.”

CARB issued its Notice of Public Hearing to consider the Advanced Clean Car II proposal and Staff Report: Initial Statement of Reasons describing key elements of the proposal and the benefits it will deliver to Californians. The Advanced Clean Car II proposal includes protective limits on harmful air pollution and strengthened sales requirements for zero-emitting vehicles. The stronger sales requirements would ensure 68% of new cars and passenger trucks sold in California are zero-emitting by 2030 and would eliminate all tailpipe pollution from new vehicles by 2035. The proposal also includes provisions to help ensure the benefits of zero-emitting vehicles are equitably shared – provisions that must be strengthened to advance equity and support environmental justice.

California has estimated the standards will deliver billions of dollars of benefits to people in the state in the form of pollution reductions and avoided fuel costs. An EDF analysis similarly concluded that ensuring all new vehicles sold are zero-emitting by 2035 would prevent more than 7,400 premature deaths, eliminate more than 1.2 billion tons of climate pollution, and save Californians $194 billion in cumulative net benefits by 2050.

California’s proposal comes at a time when manufacturers are investing billions of dollars in zero-emitting vehicles, introducing new models, and growing U.S. manufacturing and jobs to produce these vehicles in states across the country. Last week, EDF released a market assessment by ERM capturing these key developments, the dynamic market, and the growing momentum toward a zero-emitting future.  

Over the past two years, CARB staff have conducted four virtual public workshops and a community listening session about the need for clean car standards, developed and refined various analyses, developed and released draft regulation text and completed a draft Standardized Regulatory Impact Assessment. CARB will consider the proposed Advanced Clean Car II standards at a hearing on June 9, with the expectation of a second hearing in August when it will vote on the proposal.