California will be banning sales of new non-electric off-road vehicles
Huge news, as the sale of new off-road combustion engine vehicles (including dirt bikes) will be banned in California by 2035.
CALIFORNIA off-roaders will be looking at a future of electric power and no combustion engines, after Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to ban the sale of any non-zero-emission passenger vehicle (cars and trucks) by 2035.
On the face of it, this will be affecting 4-wheels only, but a side-note of the order also brings some concern to off-roaders in the Golden State. It was ruled off-road vehicles of all types will be included in the forthcoming ban - be it off-road motorcycles, ATVs, quads, or side-by-sides. Bummer, dude.
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This is all in an attempt to bring the state down to carbon-neutral, and reduce the pollution in the most-populated state in the country.
Consider the fact that alternative, electric dirt bikes are already available. In fact, Alta motorcycles even produce a pretty rad off-road motorcycle in California! New electric off-road alternatives are constantly being developed the world over as we write this - but if you are going to be looking for a combustion engine for an off-road trip in the state, a 14-year countdown timer has started.
Although, not quite... There is no mention of a ban on the sale (or ownership) of used or second-hand off-roaders (yet). Perhaps it’s worth looking at investing in a few now before the price hikes up in 2034.
It’s also worth thinking about an executive order not necessarily being set-in-stone. Whilst it is an absolute guarantee that electric vehicles will become the means of transportation at some point in the future, it seems this may be a greater signifier of intention than possibility.
Executive orders can be cancelled, adjusted, or amended at any time (even December 2034), and as mentioned above the state of California is the most densely populated state in North America - is the state ready to make a switch to electric energy that quickly? 14 years may be a long time, but to switch an entire state to electric mobility is quite the task, requiring a substantial electric grid behind it.
We’ll just have to wait and see - and advise you to hit the trails as soon as you can.
