ARTHEL: CALIFORNIA REGULATORS
APPROVED A PLAN TO BAN NEW SALES
OF GAS-FUEL CARS BY 2035.
JOEL IS HERE, PRESIDENTIAL
FELLOW OF URBAN FUTURES AT
CHATMAN UNIVERSITY AND AUTHOR OF
THE COMING OF NEW FUELISM,
GLOBAL TO THE MIDDLE CLASS.
LET’S START, JOEL, BY LOOKING AT
THE ROLLOUT TIMELINE.
IT’S GOING TO START IN 2026,
RIGHT, 35% OF THE NEW CARS,
SUV’S AND SMALL PICKUPS WILL BE
SOLD IN CALIFORNIA WILL BE
ELECTRIC.
IN 2028 THAT QUOTA WILL INCREASE
TO 51% AND 2030, 68% OF ALL NEW
CAR SALES WILL BE ZERO EMISSION,
ALL ELECTRIC AND THE QUOTA WILL
REACH 100% BY 2035, SO DO YOU
FORESEE ANY PROBLEMS OR ROAD
BLOCKS WITH THIS PLAN OR IS THIS
DOABLE?
>> SURE, THERE ARE NUMEROUS
PROBLEMS.
ONE IS OBVIOUSLY STATE OF
CALIFORNIA PEOPLE RUN THE
REGULATORY REGIME DON’T HAVE ANY
INTEREST IN ECONOMICS AND HOW
THINGS MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU RESTRICT
THE NUMBER OF GAS-POWERED CARS,
GUESS, WHAT THE GAS OF
GAS-POWERED CAR WILLS GO UP AND
ALSO HAVE A BIG-CLASS PROBLEM,
BASICALLY ELECTRIC CARS ARE VERY
EXPENSIVE.
NOW YOU CAN MAKE THE POINT THAT
MAYBE IN THE LONG RUN THEY MAY
BE CHEAPER BUT THE PURCHASE
PRICES IS VERY HIGH.
SO WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE
YOU SEE ELECTRIC CARS TODAY,
IT’S IN WEALTHY NEIGHBORHOODS ON
THE COAST.
ARTHEL: I HAVE TO JUMP IN -- I
DO HAVE TO JUMP IN, IN
CALIFORNIA YOU SEE A LOT OF
PEOPLE, KIA, HYUNDAI, TOYOTA,
THERE ARE LOTS OF AFFORDABLE
ELECTRIC CARS OUT THERE RIGHT
NOW BUT I WANT TO SAY THIS,
JOEL, THAT CALIFORNIA RANKS
NINTH IN THE CITY’S WITH THE
MOST POWER OUTAGES.
CRITICS SAY THIS PLAN WILL
OVERTAX CALIFORNIA’S GRID.
DO YOU THINK CALIFORNIA CAN
IMPROVE OR FORTIFY ITS ELECTRIC
GRID IN 13 YEARS?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW,
A, THERE AREN’T A LOT OF
AFFORDABLE ELECTRIC CARS THAT
WORK VERY WELL AND BECAUSE
THERE’S SUCH A DEMAND FOR THE
COMPONENTS I THINK THAT THEY ARE
GOING TO STAY PRETTY EXPENSIVE
AND THE OTHER PROBLEM IS YOU
WANT TO GO ALL ELECTRIC AND NOT
JUST IN CARS BUT THEY WANT TO GO
ALL ELECTRIC IN HEATING AND
COOKING.
THE PROBLEM THAT YOU HAVE IS
THAT THAT MEANS ELECTRICITY BUT
WHAT CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN DOING,
WE HAVE BEEN DECOMMISSIONING GAS
PLANTS, DECOMMISSIONING NUCLEAR
PLANTS AND WE DON’T HAVE A GRID
THAT IS RELIABLE ENOUGH FOR
RIGHT NOW AND YOU ARE GOING THE
GREATLY INCREASE HOW MUCH YOU
ARE GOING TO TO PUT INTO IT AND
IN A WAY GOVERNOR NEWSOM IS
ALREADY IN THE DILEMMA THAT’S
QUITE CLEAR BECAUSE HE JUST
DECIDED NOT TO SHUT DOWN THE
LAST NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.
ARTHEL: I’M GOING TO ROLL
THROUGH, JOEL, BECAUSE I HAVE TO
KEEP MOVING.
BY THE WAY, I WANT TO LET
EVERYONE KNOW THAT THE RULES ARE
FOR NEW CARS.
YOU’LL STILL BE ABLE TO DRIVE
AROUND IN YOUR CURRENT CAR.
>> OH, YES.
WE WILL LOOK LIKE CUBA, HAVE OLD
CARS ON THE ROAD.
ARTHEL: LISTEN, VIRGINIA IS ON
ATTRACT TO ADOPT CALIFORNIA
RESTRICTIONS, MASSACHUSETTS
LIKELY TO FOLLOW. HOW WOULD THIS FAZE OUT LIKE
HOW WOULD THIS FAZE OUT LIKE
TEXAS, TEXAS IS LARGEST OIL
PRODUCER.
>> ELECTRICITY WILL BE VERY,
VERY EXPENSIVE.
THAT’S GOING TO AFFECT PRICES
THAT ARE -- THAT MAYBE SAY HEY,
WE WANT TO ADOPT REGULATIONS.
WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE, I’M
NOT SURE THEY ARE GOING TO WANT
TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT
BECAUSE YOU CAN CUT EMISSIONS
THROUGH LOTS OF DIFFERENT
TECHNOLOGIES.
THERE’S NO REASON TO JUST PICK
ONE TECHNOLOGY AND SAY THIS IS
THE ONLY WAY.
WHAT THAT WILL DO IS INCREASE
THE PRICE OF THAT TECHNOLOGY
BECAUSE THERE’S NO COMPETITION.
ARTHEL: IT’S THE PUSH ME, PULL
ME KIND OF THING AND YOU DO ONE
THING AND THERE’S ANOTHER CAUSE
EFFECT.
>> EXACTLY.
ARTHEL: WE WILL HAVE YOU BACK
BECAUSE THIS IS IN THE WORKS AND
SUPPOSED TO START IN 2026.
WE WILL TALK ABOUT IT THEN.
>> CALIFORNIA’S JOB IS TO KEEP
THE REST OF THE COUNTRY
ENTERTAINED.
[LAUGHTER]
ARTHEL: I DON’T THINK LIKES
THAT, JOEL, BUT YOU GOT THE LAST