California easing zero-emissions mandate for carmakers
December 31st, 1969
California may be well known for its stance against pollution when it comes to legislating on emissions rules, but environmentalists have become incensed about the state’s increasingly lax attitude towards reducing pollution through regulation of new zero-emissions vehicles.
In 1990, California adopted legislation that required 10% of carmakers’ fleets be zero-emissions vehicles by 2003. When it became clear this goal wasn’t going to be reached, the rule was changed to include ‘low-emissions’ vehicles as well (i.e. hydrogen cars, hybrids and even cleaner-burning petrol vehicles). However, in an attempt to regain credibility, the 2003 changes also mandated there be 25,000 zero-emissions vehicles on the road by 2014, reports the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, there is still no mainstream zero-emissions vehicle and now recommendations to the state’s Air Resources Board is claiming the newer 25,000 number be reduced to just 2,500 because the goal is too hard for carmakers. The setbacks have been blamed on the high cost of research and manufacture of zero-emissions vehicles, which are still deemed non-financially viable for the mass market.
The government is yet to make a decision on revising the regulations once again but any move to soften the rules would only reduce pressure on carmakers to produce zero-emissions vehicle, a move considered counterproductive and irresponsible by environmentalists.
Pictured above is the all-electric Tesla Roadster, one of the few true zero-emissions vehicles.
California may be well known for its stance against pollution when it comes to legislating on emissions rules, but environmentalists have become incensed about the state’s increasingly lax attitude towards reducing pollution through regulation of new zero-emissions vehicles.
In 1990, California adopted legislation that required 10% of carmakers’ fleets be zero-emissions vehicles by 2003. When it became clear this goal wasn’t going to be reached, the rule was changed to include ‘low-emissions’ vehicles as well (i.e. hydrogen cars, hybrids and even cleaner-burning petrol vehicles). However, in an attempt to regain credibility, the 2003 changes also mandated there be 25,000 zero-emissions vehicles on the road by 2014, reports the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, there is still no mainstream zero-emissions vehicle and now recommendations to the state’s Air Resources Board is claiming the newer 25,000 number be reduced to just 2,500 because the goal is too hard for carmakers. The setbacks have been blamed on the high cost of research and manufacture of zero-emissions vehicles, which are still deemed non-financially viable for the mass market.
The government is yet to make a decision on revising the regulations once again but any move to soften the rules would only reduce pressure on carmakers to produce zero-emissions vehicle, a move considered counterproductive and irresponsible by environmentalists.
Pictured above is the all-electric Tesla Roadster, one of the few true zero-emissions vehicles.
California easing zero-emissions mandate for carmakers
March 27th, 2008
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March 27th, 2008
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March 27th, 2008
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In 1990, California adopted legislation that required 10% of carmakers’ fleets be zero-emissions vehicles by 2003. When it became clear this goal wasn’t going to be reached, the rule was changed to include ‘low-emissions’ vehicles as well (i.e. hydrogen cars, hybrids and even cleaner-burning petrol vehicles). However, in an attempt to regain credibility, the 2003 changes also mandated there be 25,000 zero-emissions vehicles on the road by 2014, reports the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, there is still no mainstream zero-emissions vehicle and now recommendations to the state’s Air Resources Board is claiming the newer 25,000 number be reduced to just 2,500 because the goal is too hard for carmakers. The setbacks have been blamed on the high cost of research and manufacture of zero-emissions vehicles, which are still deemed non-financially viable for the mass market.
The government is yet to make a decision on revising the regulations once again but any move to soften the rules would only reduce pressure on carmakers to produce zero-emissions vehicle, a move considered counterproductive and irresponsible by environmentalists.
Pictured above is the all-electric Tesla Roadster, one of the few true zero-emissions vehicles.
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Comments (8 total)
Meet the top commenters on the LeaderboardBy chris #1, Posted: 3/27/2008
it's the same crap day in and day out. either the federal government would stop it, or the car makers would just leave the state. good luck running the most populous state in the union with ZAPs, Teslas, Lightnings, and Fiskers. oh wait, only two of those cars are even in production.
Gus, you need to do a better job of keeping the pot out of that state...... buncha hippies.
no really though, Gus, like you and i have both said, let the market decide. as soon as there is an all electric vehicle available to the masses in california, people will stand in line for days just to look at the thing, and THEN the big makers will really see.
By Gus #2, Posted: 3/27/2008
True.
We'll see what happens. It always seems to happen here first, though...for better or worse...
By Fritz #3, Posted: 3/27/2008
It sure would be fun to watch California try and stop a few million cars from being delivered one day. If ever they had any, this state has lost all credibility numerous times over. It's all just a tax scheme. They require second rate gas, then say the cars need to run better on it, while charging extra to make the gas bad, and then even more to have a car that doesn't run well on it and demonizing diesels as the next plague. If BMW, Mercedes, etc, just started selling whatever they wanted, and wait for California to file suit or impose fines, they could battle them in court, or just tie them up and good luck! Stop taking them seriously. But the car makers and consumers can't agree on anything and until somebody fights these Nazis, their scheme will continue to take hold across the country. Cut off the head and all that.
By ohmy #4, Posted: 3/27/2008
im a californian, and this is jus another bullshit policy that got passed, no one except the hippies really car, as long as we get the cars we want, when we want them, we will be fine.
By van der wath #5, Posted: 3/27/2008
i am not californian and I dont live in the states.........but this sounds like bunch of crap havent these hippies realised that there in no car on earth which has zero emmisions...i mean ok save the planet but dont make everything become a pain in the a##. If enviormentalists want to save the planet why dont they do so...i mean why dont they make a car that has no emmisions and is affordable and practical why dont they make emmision free buses or emission free trucks....why dont they raise money for zero emmisions research...all these hippies do is walk around eat vegetables and tell people the way they live is harming the planet....
By Gus #6, Posted: 3/27/2008
It will wind up being market driven, no matter what.
The fact of the matter is, however, that California is the world's largest single car market, and as such they can push harder than anyone...
By HECTOR #7, Posted: 3/27/2008
I've said it before and I stand by it: California is the most stupid State in the Union.
By chris #8, Posted: 3/28/2008
hector, actually, next to massachusets, theyre the smartest.
van der wath; i'd love to see the day. trust me. I've said it before; i'm an electrical engineer. I do what I do because I want to make stuff more efficient. I want to find that power source that is clean. 100%. the real hippies are the engineers. we all are driven to make things better. not because we want to save the planet, but because we just want shit to be better. personally i want to see a zero emission world. not cause i think the ice is going to melt and kill us all or some crap like that, but because we just DONT KNOW what the hell were doing. we cant know for sure. it could be much worse than we predict. it could be nothing at all. scaring people into being green by saying that in 10 years time we will have put the world into a runaway greenhouse cycle is completely unethical. you dont know that. your indications are as such, in the worst case assumptions.
If you told every climatologist to estimate when the world will become inhospitable... and then told them u were going to find them on that day and kill them if they were wrong, not a single one of them would give you a date.
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