This is going to be terrible for everyone who doesn't drive new cars because you can bet your ass that if they actually hit their goal and no new fossil fuel cars are sold in 2035 by 2040 they'll have massive "polluter" (or whatever they want to call it) surcharges (aka taxes in disguise) on what's already the highest registration prices in the nation.
So the people who are driving a 2020 Camry in 2040 are gonna get screwed hard.
If they truly believe electric will soon be economically viable without government subsidy (as all the headlines proclaim) then what's the point of the law?
I think the point of the law is to paint a picture of where we want to go as a society (of Californians). It’s 15 years away, so these things are more a signal that “hey this is where we’re going”. This in turn makes you think “hmm maybe I should buy electric” which in turn makes manufacturers go “hmm I guess we should go electric if we want to sell in California.” Its a self fulfilling prophecy, a mission statement and a confirmation of what we already know: electric cars are here to stay, they are likely to improve massively over 15 years, and they are the future of transportation for CA.
Anyone buying a Camry in 2020 should have done an analysis of the TCO of a Camry versus a base config Tesla Model 3.
Same goes for most SUVs versus Model Y. Many gas cars at this point are already a very bad economic decision especially when you consider tanking resale value. In a few years it will be the same for trucks versus electric trucks which will have up to 600 miles range.
Legislation though... that is a longer topic. Basically the gas car companies have a lot of reasons to resist and come up with seeming deals so without a law they will perpetuate gas for much longer.
The economics for EV are there. But people still need a nudge in the right direction for the behavioral changes. Need to charge your car fully ahead of a long road trip. Need 20-30 minute pit stops during road trips.
People are still making enormously bad environmental decisions all based on the 1-4 road trips they’ll do per year.
This is going to be terrible for everyone who doesn't drive new cars because you can bet your ass that if they actually hit their goal and no new fossil fuel cars are sold in 2035 by 2040 they'll have massive "polluter" (or whatever they want to call it) surcharges (aka taxes in disguise) on what's already the highest registration prices in the nation.
So the people who are driving a 2020 Camry in 2040 are gonna get screwed hard.
If they truly believe electric will soon be economically viable without government subsidy (as all the headlines proclaim) then what's the point of the law?