The California Air Resources Board announced an official bill on Aug. 25 that details a ban on the sale of internal combustion vehicles after 2035. California residents will still be able to buy and sell used internal combustion vehicles, but new ones will no longer be allowed to be sold. The bill also maintains that hybrid vehicles will be allowed to make up to ⅕ of car sales after 2035. 

AP Environmental Science teacher Lora Lerner believes the bill will be beneficial for a future of clean energy. Lerner is especially optimistic about the future due to the Inflation Reduction Act, passed on Aug. 7, which she finds will be essential to the banning of gas cars by providing $370 billion for clean energy.

 “[The Inflation Reduction Act] is an important step because it does provide that financial pressure for people to move because we [have to do] it faster,” Lerner said. “That’s the hard part — it’s really hard for society to change. So anything that any level of government can do to move it along is good. They’ve got to invest the money in making it possible for people, both on a personal level of affording it, but also to have the charging facilities on the grid.”

Senior Nikhita Saldi agrees with Lerner and sees the benefits of the ban, especially in terms of mitigating carbon emissions, as she believes fewer gas cars will result in fewer emissions. Reflecting Saldi’s claim, the Air Resources Board states that the new regulations will reduce greenhouse gas emissions more than 50% by 2040. Saldi also highlights the equitable time frame for car companies as she believes 13 years is enough time to transition away from producing gas cars. 

Despite the benefits, in light of the recent California heat wave, which caused the California Independent System Operator to issue an alert asking California residents to refrain from using large appliances between 4 and 9 p.m., Lerner finds that, infrastructurally, the ban will be difficult to navigate. She finds this difficulty arising as electric vehicle owners would be unable to charge during those hours. Because of the issues of power already having arisen, prior to the future increase in electric vehicle charging, Lerner distinguishes that accessible charging and ensuring sufficient electricity on the grid will be integral to ensure a smooth transition to electric vehicles. 

AP Environmental science teacher Kyle Jones also notices infrastructural issues with the ban and points out the difference between five minutes filling a gas tank to 30 minutes to an hour for charging one’s car is an issue. He also notes that charging in apartment complexes without access to overnight charging will be difficult. 

Moreover, Lerner sees the difficulty in adapting to change quickly, especially due to the large financial investment one makes in buying a car. However, she believes that if more financial support becomes available, the decision will be easier. 

“I think what the state of California needs to look at is, if we really want people to move to electric cars faster, we have to make it affordable because it’s hard buying a new car,” Lerner said. “[Buying a car was] the biggest investment I [have] ever made in my whole life. For me, I don’t own a house — I rent — so buying a new car is a really big deal. We’re going to have to help people get there if we want to make this work because if the people of California start to feel like it’s making their life harder, they’re not going to support it.”

Beyond just California, Jones and Lerner say the ban is key in pushing sustainability throughout the U.S. Jones especially observes California’s influence on other states due to its size. 

“I like [the ban] because I think it’s going to be an important step,” Jones said. “Because [California has] such a large economy and so many people, a lot of times things that California does sets a standard for sometimes even the rest of the world. I think it’s good that California is doing something very extreme, because then it will set a tone that other places might follow.”

Lerner echoes Jones’ statement and highlights the positivity of the step forward.  

“When you talk about overhauling society, you have to do so many things, right?” Lerner said. “But it’s doable. When I see [bills like the ones recently passed], it does give me hope because it’s not that we can’t do this stuff, we just don’t do it. Anything that moves us forward into actually doing [things that further clean energy] instead of talking about it is really good.”