“Vroom, Vroom” is something you won’t hear in the year 2035 in California.  On Aug. 25 California set forth a new law, banning the sale of new gasoline-powered cars and light trucks by 2035.  In the process of using and making gas-powered vehicles, harmful greenhouse gasses are released contributing to rising temperatures and global warming.

Senior Abby Klutz has experience driving both electric and gas cars, Klutz reflects on the contrasting processes.“I don’t have a lot to compare my electric car to in regards to gas cars. I learned to drive in a Nissan Altima, so most of the difference is the thinking ahead about charging. For some people charging can be a headache without proper planning. My family has been able to implement a system of charging at home during the night when needed,” Klutz said.

As this law is put into place, there will be many different changes regarding how the car operates.  With both cars, you will need to plan out when you need to get gas or recharge your car.  But for electric vehicles, you won’t have to play the game “Let’s see if I have to pay $100 to fill up my tank. It is constantly cheaper to charge my car once every few nights compared to the mass of money I would be spending on gas,” Klutz said.  Owning an electric car not only helps the environment but it also helps your wallet in the long run. 

Over the past couple of years, electric cars have been much more prominent in the world as it will significantly reduce carbon emissions and air pollution. Senior Emma Tong and her family just purchased an electric vehicle,“I see it being a more widespread thing with people with electric vehicles because you are saving a lot more money in the end and you are helping the environment by not releasing fossil fuels every time you drive,” said Tong.

With a new perspective, Emma has already seen an incredible change that will be put forth regarding electric vehicles in the future. With this new law, California will not ban people from owning and driving conventional vehicles or from selling them, but it will force automakers to speed up the production of cleaner vehicles beginning in 2026. With California taking this huge step, it will definitely pave the way for other states to make similar changes as well. California being the “country’s most populous state and the center of U.S. car culture,”(CNBC) It is important that we take this step to battle climate change.