California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order stating that California will phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered cars within the next 15 years.

“The transportation sector is responsible for more than half of all California’s carbon pollution, 80% of smog-forming pollution and 95% of toxic diesel emissions—all while communities in the Los Angeles Basin and Central Valley see some of the dirtiest and most toxic air in the country,” the governor’s press release said.

“This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change,” the governor said. “Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse—and create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines.”

The executive order will have significant implications and opportunities for electrical contractors:

• For one, demand for electric-vehicle charging stations (infrastructure) will grow dramatically throughout the state—along highways, in cities and other public areas, in and around parking lots, around commercial and government buildings and, of course, in the homes of millions of the state’s residents, who will prefer having their own charging stations.
• In addition, many of these homeowners (and likely some other institutions that provide the infrastructure), will begin adding small- to medium-sized solar arrays on and around their buildings to provide the “fuel” for the charging stations.
• The need for these additional solar panels is even more likely because the state is already past its stretching point in trying to provide electric power in general, as evidenced by the fact that the state is currently experiencing rolling blackouts because demand for electricity continues to exceed supply. The result here, given the state’s commitment to “green” energy, is that demand for more utility-scale wind and solar will increase significantly, not only to try to meet general growing demand, but also, specifically, for the increasing need for power to fuel the rising number of electric vehicle charging stations.