With the staff of the California Air Resources Board suggesting that the regulations for zero emission vehicles need to be revamped, the board will now conduct a public meeting to determine whether a so-called ‘ZEV II’ will get the green light.

A board meeting is scheduled for December 9-10 in Sacramento with the objective to receive feedback on staff’s preliminary assessment and to provide the board with views on how a revised zero emission vehicle programme could complement the revisions to the low emission vehicle programme that is expected to be proposed late next summer.

It is the latest in a series of events that began in March 2008 when the Air Resources Board adopted resolution 08-24 directing staff to review the low emission vehicle programmes, strengthen the zero emission vehicle programme for model years 2015 and beyond, and focus on zero emission vehicles and advanced technology.

The recommendations include:

- A shift from zero emission vehicle regulation to address greenhouse gas emission reductions as well as criteria pollutants emission reductions.

- Partial zero emission vehicles to be removed from the zero emission vehicle regulation as they are now commercial.

- Advanced technology, such as hybrids, to be removed from the zero emission vehicle regulation as they are now commercial.

- The setting of a goal to help low greenhouse gas emitting technologies to commercialisation including fuel cell vehicles, electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

A white paper has been published summarising possible changes to the regulation along with attachments on the Air Resources Board website, which you can visit here.