SACRAMENTO – Bowing to pleas from the automakers that said they couldn’t surmount the technical hurdles in the allotted time the California Air Resources Board (CARB) revised its Zero Emission Vehicle Program, eliminating 70% of previous requirements to produce zero-emission vehicles in 2012-2014.
CARB voted to require automakers to produce 5,357 zero-emission vehicles in 2012-2014 if they are long-range fuel cell vehicles while it considers a major overhaul of all clean-car regulations in the state.
The new regulations were more than double what the CARB staff proposed. Staff recommended that the automakers only be required to produce 2,500 “pure zero emission vehicles,” which the board increased to 7,500 with the “fuel cell” proviso allowing for a lower output.
The board also ruled that this goal could be met by producing “12,500 battery electric vehicles with a range of 100 miles.”
Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols defended the board’s actions. “Today's decision will lead to more green auto choices for consumers now while keeping the pressure on the automotive engineers to continue fine tuning the technologies that will yield an all electric-drive vehicle fleet for California in the near future,” Nichols said. “We must continue to push for all types of technologies -- fuel cells, electric vehicles and hydrogen powered cars -- as we fight our duel battles against smog and global warming.”
This ruling was seen as a setback to Plug In America and other environmental groups that mounted a campaign to hold the automakers to the previous standards.
At the group’s request, former CIA Director R. James Woolsey testified at the CARB meeting on the wastefulness of diverting resources to hydrogen fuel-cell programs and the need to get plug-in cars on the road soon in order to reduce U.S. dependence on oil and to increase national security.
Former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Deputy Under Secretary of Education Peter R. Greer, both of whom served under President Ronald Reagan, wrote to Gov. Schwarzenegger imploring him to help get more electric vehicles on the market.
“As the only organization truly focused on battery electric vehicles, we brought electric cars back into the debate by bringing our concerns to the CARB staff and board, and to the press and the public,” said Plug In America Executive Director Chelsea Sexton.
Created in 1990, the ZEV program seeks to spur technological advancements in the automobile industry that lead to more clean cars on California’s roadways. The ZEV program is the world’s only enforceable requirement for development and production of zero emissions vehicles.
Since the ZEV program was first implemented, over 750,000 Californians are currently driving vehicles with near-zero emissions and an extended emissions warranty of 15 years or 150,000 miles. “They are 80 percent cleaner than the average 2002 model year car. Today's action will assure many more near-zero and zero emission vehicles on California's roads in the near future,” according to CARB.
“We’ve got more to do,” Sexton added. Plug In America will seek legislative assistance to close the gaps in CARB’s plan. “Judicious use of the $120 million per year to be allocated under AB118 for the commercialization of alternative fuels and efficient vehicle technologies could help jump-start the drive toward plug-in vehicles that stalled with CARB at the wheel today.”
For more information:
Plug In America: www.PlugInAmerica.org
Air Resources Board: www.arb.ca.gov
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