California slashes zero emission vehicle quota

But increases target for sales of hybrids

The Californian Air Resources Board (CARB) has relaxed rules that demand a set number of electric and zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) to be sold in the state, but increased sales quotas for hybrid cars.

Under the regulations, originally adopted in 2003, motor manufacturers had been required to sell 25,000 zero emission vehicles in California between 2012 and 2014. However, the board last week voted to slash the target by 70 per cent to 2,500 vehicles after the auto industry claimed the failure of battery and fuel cell powered cars to reach the mainstream meant it would not be able to meet the targets.

The board said it would make up for the reduced quota by setting a new target for nearly 60,000 partial ZEVs such as emerging plug in hybrids and natural gas vehicles to be sold during the same period.

Environmental groups accused the board of caving in to auto industry lobbying over the targets, but it insisted the changes would have little overall impact on emission levels and would keep pressure up on car manufacturers to deliver more efficient models.

"All we've done is change the definition of a ZEV to allow an electric vehicle to have a little supplemental gasoline that goes with it," CARB chairwoman Mary Nichols told Reuters news agency. "I don't think that it's a step backward in the real world."