California should phase out gas-powered cars

The San Francisco Chronicle ^ | August 8, 2017 | Janelle London

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California is a global environmental leader, but it’s falling behind in one key respect: phasing out gasoline cars. Germany, India, Norway and the Netherlands are moving to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles by or before 2030, and France and the United Kingdom by 2040.

Here’s why California should join that list. It would:

Fight climate change: Every gallon of gas burned emits 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, the main driver of climate change. Transportation is our biggest source of carbon emissions. Shifting to electric vehicles today would cut tailpipe carbon emissions to zero, and total carbon emissions by 75 percent. Why? Because our electricity is clean and getting cleaner. Today, 27 percent of California’s electricity comes from clean, renewable sources like sun and wind. By law, 50 percent of electricity must come from renewables by 2030, and a pending bill would require 100 percent renewable electricity by 2045.

Improve our health: Vehicle emissions are the country’s largest source of air pollution, causing 53,000 premature deaths a year, and increasing the risks of asthma, lung disease and cancers — especially in children and the 4 in 10 Californians living near busy roads. Annually, health impacts from vehicle emissions cost California $15 billion.

Create jobs, lift the economy, increase energy independence: Moving from gas cars to electric vehicles would create an estimated 100,000 additional jobs in California by 2030. Tesla’s factory alone will employ 9,300 with the expansion of the Model 3. Electrification would move dollars from crude oil (mostly imported from OPEC countries and Alaska) to the domestic economy.

California is ready to phase out gas-powered cars because:

The technology is here: Tesla models and the Chevy Bolt already have a range of 220 to 335 miles per charge. Ford is developing a 300-mile range SUV....

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A gallon of regular gasoline weighs 6.2 pounds.