12 States Banning Gas-Powered Cars Despite Their Popularity Amongst Americans
The future is approaching sooner than we think, and will gas-powered cars be a part of it? Many states are taking action as climate change becomes a central political debate. Despite the popularity of gas-powered engines, they are trying to curb people towards EVs (electric vehicles). We are so used to the big trucks and the fast and quick shifting of gears as we rev our engines, and it may soon be a pastime.
So, what does it all mean to you? Which states are putting in bans and why?
Why Only 12 States Are Banning These Engines
Many would think it is just those liberal hippies of California creating these wild regulations, but you may be mistaken. Section 177 of the Clean Air Act puts out regulations to help curb the emissions in the air. Most states are helping to follow this, but California has taken it upon itself to take it up a notch higher in banning the sale of vehicles that have emissions. Usually, seventeen states follow suit, but only 12 states are considering banning these vehicles.
Let’s break down those 12 States.
1. California
California wants to ban the sale of internal combustion engines by 2035. That means there is much work to do to prepare the whole state. There need to be charge stations and a good number of EVs, and there are many other concerns. These could include high vehicle costs, battery production, grid capacity, and vehicle problems.
Plus, will there be any more manual transmissions? Those are a ton of fun to drive.
2. Delaware
In April of 2023, Delaware decided to adopt some of the same provisions as California in banning gas-powered engines. It was an amendment added onto to their already low emissions ban that they are already instituted.
3. Maine
In Maine, the gas-powered car ban was brought about by a civilian petition to help curb the harmful effects of car emissions. They are working on some laws to make it official. If it does become official, Maine will implement a similar car ban to California, but it will go into effect starting in 2028.
4. Maryland
Maryland’s Governor, Wes Moore, has also brought up the Advanced Clean Cars II regulation for their state. It will be a way to clean the air and prevent respiratory issues that are starting to happen due to higher pollution in the air. They estimate that the state will save around $40 million annually in lost production due to respiratory and cardiovascular illness.
5. Massachusetts
Massachusetts was the first state to adopt Californian vehicle regulations, and it has ambitious goals to make it happen. They are looking at banning light-duty gas-powered vehicles starting in 2035. You can still use gas-powered vehicles; this would just be a ban on their sale starting in 2035.
6. New Jersey
New Jersey recently announced that it will also join in banning gas-powered vehicles. They are looking at getting up to 43% of electric vehicles by 2027 and 100% by 2035. It is hard to know if that is at all possible. The current number of EVs in New Jersey is around 15%, and there is a need for the costs to come down and for the infrastructure to be builtto handle the EVs.
7. New York
In September 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul directed the state’s environmental conservation to get vehicles to zero emissions sooner. The plan is to get 35% of the vehicles to be EVs by 2026 and have an official ban on selling light gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
They are also investing in reducing emissions 85% from 1990 levels by 2050. will try to achieve their goal by banning emissions. They are investing in cleaner transportation in New York City and other areas in the state.
8. Oregon
In December 2022, Oregon and Washington, like California, decided to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality showed that car emissions produced 40% of the state’s air emissions. Critics at open hearings commented that the state is forcing residents to purchase more expensive. The state is offering rebates of up to $7,000 for those purchasing EVs.
9. Pennsylvania
At the moment, the state legislature has approved the same regulations as California for the ban on the sale of gas-powered cars for 2035. However, the information about all the rules and regulations has not yet been made public for the state, so the rules have been unclear about what will happen in 2035. There have been rumors of a special tax passed, but nothing has been made public yet.
10. Rhode Island
Rhode Island is another state that adopted the rules created by California. Many people wonder if they will have to give up their cars. Nope. Rhode Island will phase out gas-powered vehicles over an 8-year period. By 2027, they hope to be selling 43% electric vehicles; by 2030, it should be around 68%, and they hope by 2035 to be 100%. That is their plan to implement these new rules.
11. Vermont
In 2022, Vermont was working on new laws about gas emissions in its vehicles. Vermont is following some of California’s rules and regulations on gas-powered vehicles. Vermont hopes to sell zero-emission vehicles by 2030. It is a pretty ambitious goal, but who knows how it will go.
12. Washington
The last state on the list is Washington. Washington adopted the Advanced Clean Cars II Regulations around the same time as Massachusetts. It plans to eliminate the sale of zero-emission light vehicles by 2035. Heavy-duty vehicles will still be gas-powered.
The New Age in Vehicles
With states getting ready to make gas-powered engines obsolete, the infrastructure needed to handle these vehicles’ needs needs to be invested in. The future is coming, and there are no doubts about more weather that has negatively affected parts of the states, but there needs to be plans to accommodate the EVs. If you are ever interested in a gas-powered engine, I am sure there will be other states or countries willing to sell you one.
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