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In what the California Air Resources Board says is the “most exhaustive evaluation to date of the California passenger vehicle market and technology,” CARB finds that the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and CAFE standards currently in place for model years 2022-2025 are readily feasible at or below the costs estimated back in 2012 when the standards were adopted with support from many automakers. (No More – See CAFE, Global Warming Rules Approved for 2022-25) CARB recommendations align with the Final Determination signed on 12 January 2017, by the U.S. EPA confirming the federal GHG vehicle standards for the 2022-2025 model years are appropriate.
However, CARB said that the U.S. national program is very modest in terms of promoting electrification needed to meet California’s public health and environmental needs beyond 2025. CARB recommends that California make a major push now to develop new post-2025 standards while working with automakers, federal regulators and partner states to further develop the market for electric cars.
The 667-page Mid-Term Review of Advanced Clean Cars Program report released today confirms that the previously adopted package of GHG standards, technology-forcing zero-emission vehicle standards, and the most health-protective particulate matter standards in the world are appropriate.
The report says existing programs in California will add at least 1 million zero-emission vehicles on its roads and highways by 2025. California has more than a quarter-million ZEVs on the road and there are more than a half-million nationally. Worldwide there are now more than 2 million of these vehicles, and the market is growing. Virtually every major automaker now produces or has in development at least one zero-emission vehicle model.
CARB agreed to undertake this Midterm Review, which relies heavily on the Technical Assessment Report (https://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/newsrelease.php?id=843) released jointly this past summer by CARB, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA and the National Highway & Transportation Safety Administration or NHTSA.
In addition to its vehicle GHG and zero-emission vehicle rules, California, with nearly half of all zero-emission vehicles in the nation, has several programs in place to further support the growing electric car marketplace. The state offers rebates to new buyers or lessees of zero-emission vehicles, is developing an initial hydrogen fueling infrastructure to support fuel cell electric vehicles, and agencies are pursuing nearly 200 actions to support the market, as identified in the Governor’s 2016 ZEV Action Plan.
