Electric Vehicles

A lot is at stake with the new Trump administration: California’s water projects, its unique authority to clean its air, federal support for offshore wind and disaster aid for wildfires.

Bikers — many of whom love their noisy combustion engines — say zero-emission motorcycles aren’t ready for long-distance rides. Motorcycles emit an “outsized portion” of smog-causing pollutants.

The state air board will vote on changes to its landmark clean fuel program that would cut more greenhouse gases but could raise the cost of gas and diesel.

Supporters say that a bill to create an electric vehicle opportunity zone would be a big job boost. A big beneficiary, at least initially, could be luxury EV maker Karma Automotive in Moreno Valley.

The EPA must grant a waiver before the diesel truck measure can be implemented. It’s one of California’s most controversial measures to clean up air pollution and greenhouse gases.

Public chargers must be built at an unprecedented pace to meet the target in less than 7 years, and then doubled to 2 million in 2035. The high cost — $120,000 or more for one fast charger— is just one obstacle.

The CalVans program in the Central Valley transports thousands of laborers to the fields. It is now trying to meet a mandate to electrify its fleet — a key test of how to make the state’s climate policies work in rural and disadvantaged areas.

Lack of EV chargers in remote areas could derail California’s aim to electrify cars. In Imperial County, residents have access to few public chargers and buy electric cars at only a fifth of the statewide rate.

Some automakers are reducing production of electric cars and Tesla sales have dropped. Can California sustain its record pace and meet the state mandate?

California has amassed a catalog of programs and projects that fail to deliver as promised. The list of dysfunctional efforts has a couple of new entries.