California Senate Bill 350 – Forced Gasoline Reduction?

On October 7, 2015 California Governor Jerry Brown signed and put into law Senate Bill 350 – the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015, which covers a lot of ground and may affect California motorists.

Ambitious Goals

Back at the beginning of the year, Governor Brown made an announcement regarding statewide climate and energy goals for the state of California. Targets were very ambitious, aimed at doubling the energy efficiency in buildings, increasing renewable source electricity generation to 50%, and reducing the use of petroleum in cars and trucks by 50%, all by the year 2030. That sounds all well and good, but what does that mean for California motorists? It could mean a lot of things. Some naysayers claim it means drivers will have to stop using gasoline and will end up stranded, as there aren’t enough alternatives with the viability to cover motorists’ needs. Supporters of the goal, however, claim the 50% reduction can be attained by combining an increase in fuel efficiency, cleaner fuels, and other various strategies.

Excitement over Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

One of those strategies is the use of electric and electric-hybrid vehicles. According to 2014 Cal Facts, the Legislative Analyst’s Office determined that today’s electric vehicles do have the range to fulfill the needs of the average driver in California, who drove fewer than 40 miles each day in 2013. Most pure electric vehicles get anywhere from 60 to 120 miles on a charge, while hybrids will typically go 10 to 40 miles on a charge before switching to hybrid gas-electric mode, for a range of nearly 400 miles. The same report states that nearly 1 in 35 registered passenger vehicles in California is either pure electric or a hybrid. That’s pretty impressive, California, and while the prices on these vehicles are coming down, they’re still pretty pricey for many people to get their hands on.

Don’t Panic

For the time being, at least, motorists don’t need to panic about how they are going to get to work and everywhere else they drive to. Due to the strong opposition presented by oil companies and the lack of support of California Democrats, the part of SB 350 which encompassed the goal of 50% petroleum reduction was removed in order for the rest of the bill to be passed.

California’s Future

That doesn’t, however, mean there will be no changes seen in regards to such a goal. The state’s new efficiency and renewable energy goals could easily be the catalyst for the development of an electrical grid which would allow greater accessibility to renewable energy throughout the western U.S. Additionally, incentives are being created for the installation of an increasing number of electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state, which should make the eventual transition to electric vehicles easier and more widespread. The future is coming, and it is starting in California, but the days of gasoline powered vehicles aren’t over yet.