California accounts for 10 percent of the US car market but has 43 percent of the nation's 2.6 million registered plug-in vehicles.
California has ruled that all new cars sold in America's most populous state must be zero emission from 2035, in what was billed as a "nation-leading" step to slash the pollutants that cause global warming.
The rules, announced by the state's air resources board on Thursday, demand an ever-increasing percentage of new cars sold to California's 40 million inhabitants produce no tailpipe pollutants, until their total ban in 13 years' time.
"The timeline is ambitious but achievable: by the time a child born this year is ready to enter middle school, only zero-emission vehicles or a limited number of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) will be offered for sale new in California," California Air Resources Board said in a statement.
The board, which was tasked with finding a way to implement Governor Gavin Newsom's order to transition the state's automotive sector, said the environmental and health benefits would be significant.
"By 2037, the regulation delivers a 25 percent reduction in smog-causing pollution from light-duty vehicles.
"This benefits all Californians but especially the state's most environmentally and economically burdened communities along freeways and other heavily traveled thoroughfares.
"From 2026 through 2040 the regulation will result in cumulative avoided health impacts ... including 1,290 fewer cardiopulmonary deaths, 460 fewer hospital admissions for cardiovascular or respiratory illness, and 650 fewer emergency room visits for asthma."
READ MORE: California set to ban sale of gas-run cars by 2035
Federal approval likely
The widely touted move has been hailed by environmentalists, who hope it will prod other parts of the United States to quicken the adoption of electric vehicles.
The policy still needs federal approval but that's considered very likely under Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.
"This is a historic moment for California, for our partner states, and for the world as we set forth this path toward a zero-emission future," Liane Randolph, chair of the air board, said during a public hearing before the vote.
About 16 percent of cars sold in California in the first three months of this year were electric.
California accounts for 10 percent of the US car market but has 43 percent of the nation's 2.6 million registered plug-in vehicles, according to the air board.
Over the past 12 years, California has provided more than $1 billion in rebates for the sale of 478,000 electric, plug-in or hybrid vehicles, according to the air board.
Reaching the 100 percent goal by 2035 will mean overcoming very practical hurdles, notably enough reliable power and charging stations.
California now has about 80,000 stations in public places, far short of the 250,000 it wants by 2025, which drew concerns from major car makers due to the lack of needed infrastructure and materials.
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