The Future of Electric Vehicles in Meeting the Air Quality Challenges in Southern California

The South Coast Air Quality Management District's three-tiered Air Quality Management Plan, adopted in March 1989 and subsequently approved by the California Air Resources Board, places major emphasis on the development and commercialization of Low Emitting Vehicles (LEVs) and Extremely Low Emitting Vehicles (ELEVs) to attain ambient air quality standards in the Los Angeles basin, no later than 2007. Electric vehicles are currently the lowest emission vehicle technology under development and commercialization, and therefore represent key vehicle technologies for Tiers II and III. This paper presents an overview of the various activities underway in Southern California to overcome the critical technological barriers and allow EVs to realize their full potential. The SCAQMD encourages battery and component manufacturers to aggressively pursue the potential for EVs to displace large numbers of gasoline-powered vehicles as soon as possible.