California's Air Resources Board Slashes By 70 Percent Quota For Sales Of Emission-Free Cars

Sacramento, CA (AHN) - The Air Resources Board of California voted Thursday to reduce by 70 percent the quota of emission-free cars that vehicle manufacturers must sell in the state. It sets the number at 7,500 units of electric and hydrogen fuel-cell automobiles and 58,000 plug-in hybrid electric cars by 2014.

It is 70 percent lesser than the initial target set in 2003. The downsizing frustrated environmentalist, but gave car makers some relief.

Spencer Quong, senior vehicles analyst of the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the San Francisco Examiner, "We are disappointed. We think this proposal doesn't take us on the road to meeting the state's long-term global warming goals."

Car manufacturers earlier protested they could not meet the state benchmark and need more time to produce hydrogen and battery-powered vehicles that are within the budget of California residents. According to Sara Rody, emissions regulatory manager of Ford Motor, "Pushing this technology into the market before they are commercially viable ties up resources that could be better utilized by advancing core technologies."

California's zero-emission mandate, passed in 1990, covers six large car manufacturers, namely Ford Motor, General Motors, Toyota Motor, Chrysler, Honda Motor and Nissan Motor.