Massachusetts Announces Ban on New Gas-Powered Cars

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

It was only a matter of time until other states followed California's footsteps in banning the sale of new gas-powered cars. After California announced its ban on the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035 last September, New Jersey followed closely after with a similar goal. Massachusetts has become the latest state to join California and New Jersey with a plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035.

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The ban comes at the same time Governor Charlie Baker introduced a 2050 decarbonization road map. The road map is a plan for the state of Massachusetts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and includes a way for the state to reduce emissions from passenger vehicles. According to the report, the state claims that light-duty vehicles are responsible for roughly 27 percent of the state's emissions.

"The State of California is exploring regulatory options similar to those already in place in many European countries that will require 100 percent zero emissions LDV sales by 2035," claims the report. "When finalized, those California requirements would also apply to vehicles in Massachusetts."

Massachusetts' report claims that the ban would result in a "near-complete transition" of the state's light-duty fleet to zero-emissions cars by 2050, as the average lifespan of a gasoline-powered car is less than 15 years.

California has one of the higher rates of EV adoption in the country, while the report claims that the "current pace of EV adoption" in Massachusetts "lags the pace necessary to achieve interim decarbonization targets." To boost the adoption of EVs in the state, Massachusetts will expand its electric charging infrastructure. The state knows that finding a charging station for EV owners that have to park their vehicles on the street will be a difficult thing. As such, it's really looking to increase the number of chargers available for these owners.

More Are Expected To Join Soon

With Massachusetts introducing a similar ban on new gas-powered cars by 2035 as California and New Jersey, we're certain other states will introduce similar plans shortly. With President-Elect Joe Biden set to rapidly speed up the electrification and appeal of EVs in the U.S., it will be in the interest of other states to introduce bans sooner than later.

Several European countries have put similar bans into place in an attempt to curb global warming and decrease their greenhouse-gas emissions. While the U.S. probably won't introduce a ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars at the federal level, it looks like individual states have taken it into their own hands to try to fix the issue of global warming.

All three states in the U.S. that have introduced bans or goals to stop the sale of gas-powered cars in 2035 are requiring that the ban is for new vehicles only. Consumers that are interested in a gas-powered car will be able to go down the used route. This allows consumers that can't afford the high cost of a new EV to still be able to purchase a vehicle. It will be decades until EVs are the only vehicles on the road and even then, we're sure some people will continue to enjoy their gas-powered vehicles sparingly.  

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods