NO STATE IS MORE CAR-CRAZY THAN California and they've paid a big price for it, not just in $6-per-gallon gas. The heat waves, droughts and calamitous wildfires that have ravaged the state in recent years are by-products of climate change, to which greenhouse-gas emissions from California tailpipes (and elsewhere) have contributed.
To Governor Gavin Newsom and other state political leaders, the fix is clear: Regulate the tailpipe out of existence. In August, in a continuation of its half-century-plus tradition of setting the nation's auto emissions standards, California ruled that by 2035 all new cars and trucks sold in the state must be fossil-fuel-free. Instead, electric vehicles, or EVs, will become the law of the land.
Shifting the world to zero-emissions all-electric vehicles would in theory eliminate about one-fifth of all carbon-dioxide emissions, the chief greenhouse gas behind climate change. But making the transition quickly is a tall order and creates new problems. EVs are currently too expensive for most people. The U.S. electric grid needed to power them all is unreliable and still derives much of its energy from burning fossil fuels. Charging stations are few and far between. Supply-chain and manufacturing issues have led to wait lists. And although EVs are popular in California-they constitute 15 percent of sales versus 3 percent for the U.S.-it's unclear how many more enthusiasts the state has left.
The timetable is ambitious, even for California. It goes well beyond the state's past clean-air efforts in scope and exceeds the Biden administration's goal to increase manufacturing of EVS to 50 percent by 2030. The price tag will be staggering: tens of billions of dollars in state spending on EV subsidies and improvements to the electric grid and EV charging infrastructure will be needed, experts say.
Esta historia es de la edición December 16, 2022 de Newsweek US.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 16, 2022 de Newsweek US.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Ray Romano
\"I read about three scripts, and at the end of each there was a little twist, a little turn, [and] it was funny.\"
Has J.K. Rowling Won the Culture War?
After years of backlash over trans issues, the Harry Potter author has received major business backing
Nothin' Lasts Forever
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour' ends its record-breaking run..
SPY IN THE SKY
CHINA FACES ACCUSATIONS of ESPIONAGE and WEAPONIZING OUTER SPACE as it BUILDS a NEW OBSERVATORY in CHILE critics say WILL BE USED for MILITARY PURPOSES
'This Murder Is a Symbol of the Times'
Conservatives and liberals agree on the state of the health care industry following the killing of Brian Thompson
The Defense Industry's Fight With ESG
EUROPEAN DEFENSE COMPANIES, ESPECIALLY smaller businesses, are being blocked from investment they sorely need by sustainability rules, a senior NATO official and several industry figures have said.
Margo Martindale
Jamie Lee [Curtis, producer] called me and she says, \"Jamie Lee Curtis here. I have a project for you. And you're gonna do it.\"
Malala Yousafzai
\"AFGHANISTAN IS THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE world where girls are banned from access to education and women are limited from work.\"
In the Eyes of the Law
Jude Law is unrecognizable as an FBI agent on the trail of aneo-Naziterrorist group in real-crime drama The Order
Gonzo Intelligence
Instead of keeping a low profile, Moscow's spies are embracing the limelight and even being welcomed home by Vladimir Putin after their cover is blown