Tag Archives: emissions

California Announces Plan to Ban New Gas-powered Car Sales by 2035

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said yesterday his state will decrease the number of gasoline-powered vehicles sold there until only zero-emissions cars and trucks are allowed for sale in just 15 years. He hopes all heavy-duty trucks sold there will be be zero-emissions 10 years after that, he said.

Last year, eight percent of vehicles sold in California were battery-electric or plug-ins. Officials said vehicle emissions account for 40 percent of the state’s greenhouse gases from human activity. Wildfires this summer have put more pressure on lawmakers to slow rising temperatures in the state.

The order will only affect new-vehicle sales, not ownership or resales, officials said. Clearly, it will require more charging infrastructure, including parking facilities. Read the whole story here.

 

Study: TNCs Generate More Pollution Than the Trips They Displace

OnUber Lyft Ride Sharee argument in favor of TNCs such as Uber and Lyft is that they can take privately-owned cars off the road. But a new study says the vehicles actually generate more pollution than they replace.

The Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit science advocacy organization focusing on environmental and social challenges, says they found TNC trips generated 69 percent more pollution than the trips they displace; those trips, the group says, are frequently transit, walking, or micro-mobility.

“For ride-hailing to contribute to better climate and congestion outcomes, trips must be pooled and electric, displace single-occupancy car trips more often, and encourage low-emissions modes such as mass transit, biking, and walking,” the group says.

Lyft called the report “misleading” and said they encourage shared rides and deploying electric vehicles. Read the whole story here.