Gavin Newsom
King Governor Gavin Newsom (D) on Wednesday signed an executive order banning the sale of new gasoline-powered cars and trucks by 2035.
This is by far the most authoritarian ‘clean-car’ policy in the entire country.
According to the executive order, people will still be allowed to own gasoline-powered vehicles as well as buy and sell them on the used-car market.
The California governor was proud of his move to unilaterally eliminate competition for electric vehicles since they accounted for less than 8% of all new cars sold in California.
In other words, virtually no one wants to buy an electric vehicle, so Newsom will shove them down everyone’s throats with an executive order.
“This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change,” Newsom said in a statement.
“This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change,” said Governor Newsom. “For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe. Californians shouldn’t have to worry if our cars are giving our kids asthma. Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse – and create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines.”
A spokesman for the Institute for Energy Research called Newsom’s executive order “another silly distraction from real problems.”
“Driving cars is not what causes forest fires or makes them worse,” David Kreutzer, a senior economist at the institute, told NPR. “If people want to drive electric cars, they’ll buy them. You don’t have to eliminate the competition.”
“Electric cars might not have emissions at a tailpipe, but they do have emissions at the power plant,” Kreutzer added.
Electric cars do not do well in freezing temperatures and they also impact California’s already strained grid.
The Verge reported that last month during one of California’s extreme heat waves, Tesla owners were asked not to charge their cars during the day to help prevent rolling blackouts.
“The current heat wave is impacting the grid in California,” part of Tesla’s notice reads. “If possible, we ask that you reduce Supercharging and home charging between the hours of 4PM and 9PM to support the statewide efforts to manage demand.”
But Newsom thinks it is a good idea to force millions of people in California to own electric cars when he can’t even keep the state’s lights on during heat waves now.
