Automotive News, 9/25/23
The state of California is looking seriously at instituting or allowing local governments to institute zero-emission zones in the near future. In preparation for such a move, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) reportedly is gathering information about classic cars and how their owners use them. We knew something like this was coming to the US and California would likely be first, but this is still concerning.
According to a Daily Caller report, on August 2 CARB sent a survey to owners of classic cars from model year 1978 or earlier. The questions were aimed at ascertaining how those classics are used and store, as well as where they’re driven. It even asks about how many miles show on owners’ odometers. Knowing how increasingly authoritarian many government agencies seems to be trending, this is concerning to many car enthusiasts who still live in the Golden State.
Back in the day, California was arguably the epicenter of cool car culture with many legendary brands, builders, and other hobbyists emerging from the state. That all emerged at a time when individual expression, not institutionalized expression, reigned supreme. Unfortunately, that looks to be going the way of the dodo before long.
Daily Caller also points out how CARB issued a report back in 2019 suggesting the state should allow “local jurisdictions to create zero-emissions zones.” If that sounds a little too similar to the ULEZ zones that have taken over all of London’s boroughs in the UK, with plate readers fining people daily for violations, you’re not alone.
California car culture already isn’t what it used to be but is still pretty amazing. However, moves like this could accelerate the current trajectory.
Of course, the justification for full-on banning older cars from certain areas or making the owners pay a daily fee to drive there is climate change. After seeing the amount of emissions produced by private jets, cruise ships, EV mining/production, Space X rockets, and many other things that are widely celebrated, defended, and/or enjoyed one can’t help but feel cynical about these mounting restrictions.
But California has a net-zero carbon emissions goal set for 2045 and so we can expect even more restrictions on the horizon. We hope it doesn’t get to the point that authorities go door to door looking for classic cars to seize and crush, but the mere mention of zero-emission zones would’ve been dismissed as crazy conspiracy theory only a few short years ago.
