Massachusetts joins list of states to ban gasoline cars by 2035
The state follows California's lead by becoming the first state in the union to announce a similar ban last year.
Massachusetts will ban the sale of new vehicles powered by gasoline and other fossil fuels by 2035. It is the first state to follow California, which implemented its plan last September to stop sales of all new internal combustion engine vehicles following a devastating wildfire season.
The proposed rules do not require a ban on the sale of used vehicles with diesel or diesel engines. Buyers can still get their traditional car from a used car lot. However, automakers doing business in California and Massachusetts will not be able to sell a new car that requires a visit to a service station in the near future.
In Massachusetts' long roadmap, state experts note that 27% of local emissions come from light passenger vehicles, and phasing them out is just one component of the plan to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The state also wants to introduce a flexible approach to the heavy vehicle sector such as buses, large trucks and other equipment. The report rightly points out that alternative zero-emission vehicles are not widely available or are much more expensive than traditional vehicles, so plans and concrete actions in this regard are limited.
The report also calls for more attention to carbon-free fuels, which some automakers are looking to invest in. To date, there are no viable alternatives to direct replacement of fossil fuels.
Going forward, the state has said it wants to keep an open mind about the use of any biofuel to replace the need for fossil fuels in everything from jet fuel to natural gas. Renewable forms of energy are also a priority, especially as the report points to the need to provide a boosted power grid for the expected increased use of home chargers and public electric vehicle charging stations.
We will certainly see other states, many of which already follow California emission standards, continue to pass a 2035 ban on new gasoline-powered vehicles.
**********
:
-
-
