Taking steps in the right direction

California Air Resource board was trying to reduce the number of emission-free cars by 70 percent. But this only got the panel to set new rules for the companies to sell tens of thousands of plug in hybrid cars. By 2015, the board says that there will more then likely be another program in effect that is more aggressive then the one currently in effect.

State deals blow to zero-emission vehicle
supporters

The Air Resources Board substantially reduces
the number of clean-air cars that big automakers will be required to sell in the
next few years.
By Ken Bensinger, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer March 28,
2008
California's Air Resources Board voted Thursday to slash by 70% the
number of emission-free vehicles that carmakers must sell in the state in coming
years, a significant blow for environmentalists and transportation activists.But
the panel set new rules requiring automakers to build tens of thousands of
plug-in hybrid cars, which run on electricity and gasoline. And it adopted a
motion to overhaul its entire Zero Emission Vehicle program to align it with
tougher greenhouse-gas emission standards enacted in California in recent years.
That could lead to the production of many more clean vehicles, but the overhaul
won't happen until at least the end of 2009.
FOR THE RECORD:Zero-emission
vehicles: An article in the Business section on Friday said VantagePoint Venture
Partners was an investor in plug-in hybrid carmaker Fisker Automotive.
VantagePoint is an investor in electric carmaker Tesla Motors. —
Under the
new standards, passed unanimously, the board will require the largest companies
selling cars in the state to produce 7,500 electric and hydrogen fuel-cell
vehicles for sale, lease or loan in California from 2012 to 2014 -- down from
the 25,000 required in the period under the previous rules.

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