SACRAMENTO, CA -- The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has posted a package of staff-proposed Advanced Clean Car regulations, which the board will consider for adoption on Jan. 26, 2012.

On Jan. 26, CARB will consider proposed amendments to the state’s clean fuels outlet regulation, zero-emission vehicles regulation, and low-emission vehicles and greenhouse gas regulation. 

The proposed Advanced Clean Car program, under development over the past three years, includes four major components:

• Greenhouse gas standard for cars and light trucks, model years 2017-2025   -- This regulation builds on California’s greenhouse gas standard that was later adopted by the federal government as part of a national program. The proposed new standard drops greenhouse gas emissions to 166 grams per mile, a reduction of 34 percent compared to 2016 levels. 

• Reducing Smog-Forming Emissions -- This regulation calls for California to reduce smog-forming pollution by an additional 75 percent from 2014 levels to help meet more stringent federal air quality standards expected in the next few years. 

• Zero Emissions Vehicle Regulation -- This regulation builds on the program in place since 1990 and is designed to rapidly increase ZEV production to early commercial volumes. This is expected to place California on a path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. The ZEV regulation is aimed at placing 1.4 million ZEVs on the road by 2025 (15.4 percent of new vehicle sales in that year). By mid-century, 87 percent of cars on the road will need to be full zero-emission vehicles to achieve climate goals.

• Clean Fuel Outlets -- This regulation requires the construction of hydrogen fueling stations. The number of stations will expand as vehicle manufacturers sell more fuel cell vehicles.

“These rules will make California the advanced car capital of the world, driving the innovation, patents and technology that will generate thousands of jobs here, and set the stage for us to compete in the global clean car marketplace,” said CARB Executive Officer James N. Goldstene.

When fully implemented, annual fuel costs to operate a car are expected to drop by an average of 25 percent, with an overall cumulative savings of $22 billion by 2025, according to staff analysis. Further, greenhouse gas emissions from cars will be cut 34 percent from 2016 levels. 

Many of the technologies that reduce climate change emissions also significantly reduce the operating costs of passenger vehicles on a month-to-month basis for consumers. According to state staff analysis, the advanced technologies used to achieve the new smog and greenhouse gas standards will increase a new vehicle’s price in 2025 by about $1,900 -- a sum more than offset by $6,000 in fuel cost savings over the life of the car. This will reduce the monthly cost of a new car by $12, even when considering the higher cost of the loan or lease, staff concluded. 

According to state staff analysis, the proposed Advanced Clean Cars package of regulations is designed to deliver:  

• A savings of $5 billion in operating costs in 2025 for California drivers. This will rise to $10 billion in 2030 when more advanced cars are on the road

• A 75-percent reduction in smog-forming emissions by 2025

• Zero-emission or plug-in hybrid vehicles accounting for one in seven new cars sold in California in 2025 (15.4 percent)

• A total of 1.4 million zero-emission and plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road in California by 2025

• A reduction of 52 million tons of greenhouse gases by 2025, the equivalent of taking 10 million cars off the road

• A cumulative reduction of more than 870 million metric tons of greenhouse gases through 2050.

Click here for a summary of the Advanced Clean Cars regulations. 

The proposed rules can be found at: 
http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/2012/cfo2012/cfo2012.htm
http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/2012/zev2012/zev2012.htm
http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/2012/leviiighg2012/leviiighg2012.htm

Comments on the proposed regulations can be submitted here.