Governor Gavin Newsom has issued an executive order requiring that, by 2035, all new cars and passenger trucks sold in California must be zero-emission vehicles. Newsom’s press release states that the executive order is his latest action for “aggressively mov[ing] the state further away from its reliance on climate change-causing fossil fuels while retaining and creating jobs and spurring economic growth.”

Newsom has tasked the California Air Resources Board with developing regulations to mandate that: 1) 100 percent of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks are zero-emission by 2035; and 2) all operations of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles shall be 100 percent zero emission by 2045 where feasible, with the mandate going into effect by 2035 for drayage trucks. The executive order also requires that off-road vehicles and equipment operations will have to achieve a 100 percent zero-emission goal by 2035.

In addition to closely monitoring this new mandate, Western Growers will be actively engaging on any rulemaking due to concerns over cost, lack of charging infrastructure and electric grid unreliability, among other issues.

For more information about the order, click here to see Newsom’s official press release.