Governor Gavin Newsom has recently come out with a plan to phase out all gasoline powered cars and to drastically reduce the demand for fossil fuels in California’s fight against climate change.  This will prove to be a very complicated and controversial plan with many variables to take into account.

“This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change,” Governor Newsom said in a press release.  “For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe. Californians shouldn’t have to worry if our cars are giving our kids asthma. Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse – and create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines.” 

The main cause for this drastic change is the environment.  It is believed that over 30 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions is from cars.  The zero emission cars will need to be the forefront of California’s clean economy.  

Newsom’s plan would entail dealerships not being able to sell any new gas powered cars after 2035.   This means that dealerships or large car conglomerates would be forced to discontinue lines of cars and force the manufacturing of electric cars to sky rocket.  This will significantly affect the sales of specific cars.  Tesla will become more mainstream, while brands like GM and Ram will fall to the wayside because they do not have any electric cars.  

“John L Sullivan Chevrolet is a day to day business,”Alexander Gouon, a salesman from John L Sullivan Chevrolet said.   “Newsome’s plan makes sense on paper, but the time frame is not feasible.  Electric car innovation has come a long way in the past twenty years, but fifteen years is simply not enough time to phase out all combustion engines.  Chevy is adapting however, we are working to make more and more electric vehicles, because they are the future.” 

Although the benefits of Newsom’s plan are undeniable, there are still a large number of Californians who oppose the proposal.  California was the birthplace of  “car culture,” “vintage muscle” and the list goes on.  Many people don’t want their lifestyles to be changed so dramatically.  

“I work on my project car everyday and absolutely love it,” senior Logan Dhala said.  “I put my blood sweat and tears into my Mustang.  Newsom’s plan will basically not let me do my favorite pastime in the world in California anymore.”

Many residents in California are expressing the same frustration with the plan, however, most do not recognize that this isn’t a bill to ban all gas powered cars – it is a plan to phase them out in terms of selling.