Report: California Weighing Ban On Combustion Vehicles

Officials in California are reportedly considering a plan that would see the largest U.S. state join the U.K., France and China in phasing out conventional combustion-engine vehicles.

Mary Nichols, the chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, told Bloomberg in a recent interview that Gov. Jerry Brown "has certainly indicated an interest in why China can do this and not California.”

“I’ve gotten messages from the governor asking, ‘Why haven’t we done something already?’” Nichols told the publication.

As vehicle traffic in California continues to increase, officials believe that a limit on combustion engines will be needed to meet the state's goal of slashing carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

China's government is reportedly working on a plan to end the production and sale of internal combustion cars, and although the country dwarfs California, the state did register more vehicles last year than all of France.

Bloomberg noted that a ban in the state would dramatically impact the global auto market and could pressure companies to usher in era of the electric vehicle.

Although the state is unlikely to receive an EPA waiver for new pollution rules under the Trump administration, regulators could enforce a ban through state vehicle registration or highway rules.

The Association of Global Automakers, which represents foreign carmakers in the U.S., said it continues to discuss "market-based" approaches to reducing California's emissions and told Bloomberg that "we hope that this doesn’t signal an abandonment of that position."

Nichols said that a ban would not be put in place for at least a decade and could potentially wait much longer.