California lawmaker to float zero
emissions vehicle bill
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[August 13, 2016]
By Rory Carroll
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California
lawmaker next week will introduce a bill requiring 15 percent of all
vehicles sold in the state to be emissions-free by 2025, her spokeswoman
said on Friday.
Assemblywoman Autumn Burke says the legislation is needed to ensure that
California's current zero emissions vehicle target is met with actual
vehicles and not just clean car credits, which environmentalists claim
have flooded the market.
"Governor (Jerry) Brown has set an ambitious goal of 1.5 million
electric vehicles by 2025, but unless we take action, the state won't
come close to meeting this goal," said Burke, who represents the city of
Inglewood in car-centric Los Angeles county.
"That's why we need to reform the rules to require that 15 percent of
all cars sold in California have zero emissions by 2025. This is about
clean cars, not credits," she said in a statement to Reuters.

The bill will require the California Air Resources Board to adopt a
regulation by the end of next year to reach the 15 percent goal.
CARB has for years operated a zero emission vehicles program, which has
helped the state achieve its current level of about 200,000 ZEVs on the
road.
But a complex system of clean car credits, designed to give automakers
flexibility in meeting the sales target, has led to a glut of credits,
according to experts.
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Cars travel north towards Los Angeles on interstate highway 5 in San
Diego, California February 10, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council and
electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors told CARB at a recent meeting
that auto companies may be able to reach the state's target by simply
submitting credits, and said changes to the program's credit system are
required.
About 4 percent of vehicles sold in California are zero emissions
vehicles, which include full battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell,
and plug-in hybrids. The NRDC estimates that under the current rules
and credit system, California would have only 6 percent of all
vehicles emission-free by 2025.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Dan
Grebler)
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