Another gold rush is happening in California, the rush is all about the charged particles (electrons) as opposed to the atomic level of number 79. That is to say California, the world’s 5th biggest economy is spending over $1.4 billion over the next three years on its transport and manufacturing infrastructure to reach a zero-emissions target. The plan, approved by the CEC (California Energy Commission) will focus on electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling stations.
California is phasing out the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035, 80-percent of the budget will be spent on EV charging points and or hydrogen refueling stations. CEC will spend $690 million for medium- and heavy-duty ZEV infrastructure (battery-electric and hydrogen). Around $314 million is allocated for light-duty electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Another $77 million will fund the hydrogen refueling infrastructure, $244 million is reserved for ZEV manufacturing, $15 million will be spent on workforce training and development.
California has a history of air pollution caused by vehicular emissions, it is often cited as the state with the worst air quality in all of America. Ironically, the power of California’s economy is the leading cause of its poor air quality. Emissions caused by construction, diesel trucks, traffic, domestic emissions, and agriculture combine to form the perfect contributory storm.
The mountainous terrain surrounding California captures this swell of emissions trapping pollutants which then cascade back into urban areas from which they first emanated. Combine this with a warm climate and California is an example of carbon capture gone wrong.
Research studies into the state of California’s air pollution estimate that over 9,000 people die every year from the effects of poor air quality.