( Oil Price) – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved California’s bid to enforce a rule to end sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles in the state by 2035. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has applauded the decision, saying it will improve public health by slashing harmful air pollution as residents adopt cleaner electric or hybrid vehicles.
“Clean cars are here to stay,” Newsom said in a written statement. “Automakers have made it clear they stand with California and consumers as we move toward clean cars that save money. While critics like President-elect Trump side with the oil industry, California will continue driving innovation.”
Back in September, San Bernardino, a Southern California city, unveiled the first-ever hydrogen-powered passenger train in the United States, an important milestone as California ramps up efforts to meet its 2045 carbon neutrality goals. Dubbed Zemu for Zero-Emission Multiple Unit, the $20 million train uses a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and battery system to power the lightweight vehicle capable of ferrying 108-seated passengers on a 9-mile line known as the Arrow Corridor. San Bernardino is notorious for its poor air quality thanks to a high concentration of freeways, rail yards and industrial facilities.
The city recently failed the American Lung Association’s 2024 State of the Air Index, a test based on the number of days that ozone and particle pollution exceeded safe levels. Zemu is likely to appeal to riders not only for its green credentials but also because it’s going to run quieter than conventional passenger trains.
.“All you’re going to hear is a couple HVAC blowers and cooling fans,” said Kaden Killpack, a commercial project manager at Stadler US who oversees the San Bernardino county transit authority (SBCTA), as reported by The Guardian.
Hydrogen fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen molecules to generate electricity and water vapor as a byproduct. Zemu will become the first passenger train in North America to meet Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requirements when it goes in 2025. Zemu has been years in the making, with SBCTA officials having contracted Swiss rail manufacturer Stadler Inc to deliver a technology that will alleviate the area’s poor air quality and reduce the stress on the county’s roads.
“Once you take that vehicle and you add hydrogen to it, you make it possible to have zero emission technology on the same corridors where Union Pacific and NSF run,” Killpack said. “That’s what’s really crazy and cool about this”.
By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com
