May 24, 2021—A new California law will require rideshare operators to embrace electric vehicles, Forbes reported.
The California Air Resources Board unanimously approved the Clean Mile Standard in Sacramento last Thursday, which phases in the new rule starting in 2023. In the initial year, just 2 percent of vehicle miles traveled in rideshare fleets in the state need to be in electric vehicles, but the requirement jumps to 50 percent by 2027 and 90 percent by 2030.
The move by California regulators aligns with the state’s plan to ban sales of new gasoline cars by 2035 and an effort by California legislators to target rideshare fleets for dramatic reductions in emissions.
“This move is yet another piece of the comprehensive program California has developed to protect public health from harmful emissions,” California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph told the publication. “The transportation sector is responsible for nearly half of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, the vast majority of which come from light-duty vehicles. This action will help provide certainty to the state’s climate efforts and improve air quality in our most disadvantaged communities.”
