---
title: "California is Considering a Ban on the Sale of Non-Electric Cars"
description: "California officials are considering a ban on the sale of gas- and diesel-powered cars to meet the state's climate goals. Enforcement could take a decade."
date: "2017-09-27"
modified: "2017-09-27"
authors:
  - name: "Brad Jones"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/bradj"
url: "https://futurism.com/california-is-considering-a-ban-on-the-sale-of-non-electric-cars"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
tags:
  - "california"
  - "electric cars"
  - "electric vehicles"
  - "Fossil Fuels"
---

# California is Considering a Ban on the Sale of Non-Electric Cars

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/mountains-726492.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="https://pixabay.com/en/mountains-sunset-highway-traffic-726492/" target="\_blank"\>Pixabay\</a\>\</em\>*

## The Road Ahead

Officials in California are considering whether a [ban on the sale of gas- and diesel-powered cars](<https://futurism.com/these-7-countries-want-to-say-goodbye-to-fossil-fuel-based-cars>) could help the state meet its climate goals. However, this policy is at least a decade away from being enforced, if it does come to pass.

“There are people who believe, including \[some of those\] who work for me, that you could stop all sales of new internal-combustion cars by 2030," said Mary Nichols, chairman of the California Air Resources Board, in an [interview with ](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-26/california-mulls-following-china-with-combustion-engine-car-ban>)*[Bloomberg](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-26/california-mulls-following-china-with-combustion-engine-car-ban>)*. "Some people say 2035, some people say 2040...it’s awfully hard to predict any of that with precision, but it doesn’t appear to be out of the question.”

## Around the World

California would follow in the footsteps of several different countries around the world by putting a ban on the sale of vehicles powered by fossil fuels. China is [taking such measures into consideration](<https://futurism.com/china-is-working-on-a-timetable-to-ban-the-production-and-sale-of-non-electric-cars>), the UK recently announced plans to [introduce legislation in 2040](<https://futurism.com/u-k-government-will-ban-petrol-and-diesel-cars-in-2040>), and France is aiming to [put new regulations in place](<https://futurism.com/france-just-announced-radical-changes-to-the-countrys-climate-policy>) on a similar timescale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_9_y_AxTAE

However, California's decision to ban the sale of new gas- and diesel-powered cars would arguably be just as effective on the auto industry as many of the countries contemplating similar action, because of the its already-existent market size. More than 2 million passenger vehicles were registered in the state over the course of 2016 — more than were registered across all of France in the same timespan.

Moving away from fossil fuel vehicles will certainly be a great boon for the environment. The question is lies in how the auto industry is going to make electric cars [cheap enough to spur adoption](<https://futurism.com/tesla-to-discontinue-its-cheapest-model-s>) before these proposed bans are put in place.