Existing law establishes regulations for the operation of an autonomous vehicle on public roads for testing purposes by a driver who possesses the proper class of license for the type of vehicle being operated if the manufacturer meets prescribed requirements.
Existing law provides for various programs to promote the use of zero-emission vehicles, including the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, which was established by the State Air Resources Board as a part of the Air Quality Improvement Program, to promote the use of zero-emission vehicles by providing rebates for the purchase of new zero-emission vehicles, and the Charge Ahead California Initiative, which establishes various goals, including the goal of placing in service at least 1,000,000 zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles by January 1, 2023.
This bill would, beginning January 1, 2025, to the extent allowed by federal law, prohibit the department Department of Motor Vehicles from accepting an application for original or renewal registration of a qualifying autonomous vehicle
that is first operated, sold, leased, offered for sale, or offered for lease in the state on or after January 1, 2027, unless that qualifying autonomous vehicle is a zero-emission vehicle. The bill would define “a qualifying “qualifying autonomous vehicle” to mean a self-propelled vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating less than 10,001 pounds and with specific automation technology that is permitted by the department for deployment as an autonomous vehicle. The bill would define “zero-emission vehicle” to mean a self-propelled vehicle that produces no tailpipe emissions of criteria pollutants, toxic air contaminants, and greenhouse gases when stationary or operating, as
determined by the State Air Resources Board.