California moves against climate change with new clean car rules

By Andy Goldberg Jan 27, 2012, 21:26 GMT

Los Angeles - California regulators unanimously approved far-reaching anti-smog regulations Friday that would require automakers to ensure that 15 per cent of all vehicles sold in the state by 2025 are zero emission vehicles.

Remaining cars will be required to show dramatically improved fuel efficiency and exhaust emissions.

The 9-0 vote by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) came after speakers representing the auto industry, environmental organizations and consumer groups all voiced support for the rules that would transform the California auto scene.

'The California Advanced Clean Car rules will clean our air, fight climate change and provide cars that save consumers thousands of dollars at the pump,' said chairperson Mary Nichols.

'The Board's action today will create thousands of new jobs, transforming California into the advanced car capital of the world,' she said. 'California is now in pole position in the race to provide next-generation ultra-clean cars to the global car market.'

California has traditionally set the standards for auto emissions across the US. Fourteen other states currently follow California's emission goals and the new standards have been compiled in conjunction with federal regulators so they can form the basis of a national emissions policy.

The new regulations will begin with cars sold in 2015, and impose a gradual mandate so that by 2025, one in seven vehicles sold in the state will be an electric or hydrogen zero-emissions vehicle or plug-in hybrid.

In addition, automakers will be forced to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent on all new vehicles by 2025, and reduce emissions of soot and smog by 75 per cent. Those rules dovetail with guidelines to be issued by the Obama administration that will double the required average fuel consumption to 54.5 miles per gallon, or roughly 23 kilometres per litre.

Board officials estimated that the new technologies needed to reach this goal would add between 1,400 dollars and 1,900 dollars to the price of a new vehicle, but would save more than three times that much in reduced fuel costs.

The regulations also set a goal that by 2050, 87 per cent of all California vehicles will be zero emission hydrogen or battery vehicles, with most of the remainder made up of hybrid vehicles. What the board called Advanced Gasoline Vehicles will by that time make up less than 10 per cent of all the vehicles in the largest state in the US.

While past emissions legislation was approved over the objections of the auto industry, car manufacturers lined up solidly behind the new proposals as US customers demand better fuel consumption in an era of rising fuel prices. Supporting such regulations was also part of the bailout package extended by the US government when General Motors and Chrysler faced bankruptcy in 2009.

'In the summer of 2008, gasoline hit 4 dollars a gallon. We couldn't keep our most fuel-efficient vehicles on dealers' lots,' said Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the American Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, on Thursday. 'The general trend is for higher gas prices. It's rare to find someone who doesn't think that gas prices will go higher in the future.'