California’s push for cleaner vehicles could be in jeopardy under a second Trump administration.
Governor Gavin Newsom has a plan to phase out sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035, but President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to end state regulations on vehicles.
Some gasoline drivers say they never thought this was a realistic goal anyway.
“That’s a joke,” said gas truck driver Jeff Mulivhill. “It’s not going to happen.”
Mulvihill says he can’t expect the right infrastructure to be in place within 10 years.
“Manufacturers need to build cheap electric cars, but until charging infrastructure improves, you’re not going to get them,” says Mulvihill. “How do you charge a car if you live in an apartment and park on the street?”
Director of the Climate Program at UC Berkeley Law School, Ethan Elkind, admits that the 2035 goal may be a lot harder now than it was on Monday.
Elkind expects President-elect Trump, who has called climate change a “hoax,” to cut funding for technologies needed to meet the state’s aggressive zero-emission vehicle standards.
“We can exceed federal standards because we get permission from the federal government,” Elkind said of why California can set its own standards. “What happened during the first Trump administration is they tried to revoke the authorization that was given.”
Trump specifically revoked the Environmental Protection Agency waiver that allowed California to limit car tailpipe emissions.
Elkind says the issue was litigated and never resolved before Joe Biden became president and reinstated the exemption. Now climate experts say it is likely that Trump could withdraw the proposal again.
“California may be able to face round-the-clock litigation for the next four years, but we would lose a lot of time and automakers need that certainty,” Elkind said. “They are investing now in vehicles that they will sell in ten years.”
For now, Mulvihill isn’t rushing to buy an electric car. But he might consider a hybrid for his next car.
“That’s a great intermediate and I would actually like to see them use hydrogen,” Mulvihill said.
Elkind also said that much of the U.S. auto market follows California standards, so the consequences of slowing the push for zero-emission vehicles in California could impact other parts of the country.
