Washington state to ban sales of new gas cars by 2035, following California

Washington state will follow California and prohibit the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, Jay Inslee, the state governor, said.

The new policy requires 100% of new sales of passenger cars, trucks and SUVs in the state to be powered by electricity or hydrogen by 2035, with one-fifth allowed to be plug-in hybrids.

The specific regulations for Washington state are yet to be created and the public will have the chance to weigh in, the Seattle Times reported.

Transportation-related emissions account for more than 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in Washington.

A state council, set up by Inslee to plan for the future of electric vehicles, held its first meeting in July. Members discussed building a network of fast-charging stations on state highways, said Anna Lising, senior climate adviser to Inslee. The effort will be helped by $71m from the federal government.

Lising said she expected the new regulations to incentivize manufacturers to make more and cheaper electric vehicles.

The policy passed in California on Thursday marks a dramatic step in the fight to reduce emissions and combat the climate emergency.

Implementing the new rules will require significant investments, however. California will need to expand public charging stations to accommodate the surge in electric vehicles.