Clean air goal slashed

California air regulators on Thursday slashed the number of battery-powered and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles that must be sold in the state, a setback for environmentalists and health advocates.

The board will require the top six automakers to build a combined 7,500 zero-emission vehicles for sale in the state from 2012 through 2014, down from a previous mandate of 25,000.

In the meantime, automakers must sell nearly 60,000 hybrid vehicles that run on gas and electricity while they develop technology that will allow mass production of pure zero-emission vehicles.

The decision is expected to affect 12 other states that had adopted California's target for zero-emission vehicles.

Electric vehicle advocates in Sonoma County voiced dismay at Thursday's news. The technology exists for automobile companies to begin delivering electric vehicles today, said Chris Jones, president of the North Bay Electric Automobile Association.

"We needed the auto companies to step up," said Jones, an engineer at Agilent Technologies in Santa Rosa. "I'm very disappointed."

But board chairwoman Mary Nichols described the move as a major step toward putting cleaner cars on the road. "We're introducing a whole new category of vehicles to the public," Nichols said. "I don't think it's a step backward in the real world."

The board's vote came after six hours of testimony at a public hearing in Sacramento that drew more than 200 representatives of automakers, environmental groups and members of the public.

Windsor resident Stanton Ireland drove his electric car to Sacramento to attend the hearing. He owns a 2003 Toyota Rav4 EV, which was made in very limited production to meet previous state mandates. It costs about $2.70 in electricity to drive 120 miles -- although solar panels can offset that cost.

"I drove 107 miles to Sacramento on my electric battery," Stanton said. "You can't tell me that the technology isn't ready."

In essence, the air board took two steps Thursday: It cut the number of zero-emission vehicles it wants on the road by 2014, while at the same time offering an alternative -- the gas-electric hybrid.

Auto manufacturers said they could not meet the California standard and needed more time to make affordable hydrogen and battery-powered cars.

"Pushing this technology into the market before they are commercially viable ties up resources that could be better utilized by advancing core technologies," said Sara Rudy, an emissions regulatory manager at Ford Motor Co. "It is important at this stage to be nimble."

The other manufacturers that must comply with the rules are General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., Chrysler LLC and Nissan Motor Co.

Automakers will save $1.1 billion as a result of the decision to reduce the original mandate of 25,000 emission-free vehicles to 7,500 vehicles, the board said.

The decision will have little impact on Sonoma County's most visible electric vehicle company, Zap, co-founder Gary Starr said. The Santa Rosa company sells three-wheel vehicles that are not classified as cars.

Environmentalists and health advocates criticized the lowering of the zero-emission goal for vehicles. They said the threats posed by global warming, combined with rising gasoline prices, lend urgency to greatly reducing vehicle emissions.

"We are disappointed. We think this proposal doesn't take us on the road to meeting the state's long-term global warming goals," said Spencer Quong, an analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The California branch of the American Lung Association said California could save $2.2 billion annually in health care costs a year by converting all vehicles sold to zero-emission vehicles, cutting 300 premature deaths and more than 25,000 injuries. They called on the board to boost requirements for zero-emission vehicles.

Zap co-founder Starr blamed automotive and oil industry lobbyists for hindering the adoption of electric vehicles.

"They are trying to slow down the process," Starr said. "They have been pushing and changing the mandates since 1994."

California adopted its zero-emission vehicle mandate in 1990 as part of an attempt to reduce smog-forming emissions such as nitrogen oxide.

The rule required that 10 percent of new cars sold in the state by the country's six leading auto manufacturers be completely nonpolluting by 2003.

The rules have been modified four times since they were introduced. The biggest change came in 2003, when the Air Resources Board significantly scaled back the mandate and ruled that hydrogen cars, hybrids and cleaner-burning gasoline vehicles could meet the state's goals.

The regulators were concerned that battery-powered cars could not be mass-produced and favored hydrogen cars. They also faced a lawsuit from the auto industry.

Although some lower-emission vehicles -- especially hybrids -- have begun making an impression in the marketplace, the main automakers still do not have a commercial zero-emission vehicle.

The revised 2003 rules set a goal of putting at least 25,000 zero-emission cars on the road by 2014, far below the original 10 percent mandate. The rules adopted Thursday put the number at 7,500, a 70 percent reduction from the 2003 target.

California is the only state allowed to go beyond federal law in setting such environmental standards, but other states can follow its lead. Twelve states have adopted the California standard and four others are considering it, according to the board.

Robb Protheroe, a former Cisco Systems engineer from Petaluma, said he was disappointed in the rule changes despite the fact it will likely benefit his year-old business of selling plug-in kits for the Toyota Prius.

"It's disappointing they are not listening more to the public's demand," he said. "Plug-in vehicles are a step in the right direction, but the technology is here for zero-emission vehicles."

Despite California reducing its target for zero-emission vehicles, some environmentalists said Thursday's action will force the auto industry to change its thinking.

"For the first time, the automakers have a requirement to put tens of thousands of plug-in-hybrids in the showrooms," said Luke Tonachel, a vehicle analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The air board also asked its staff to study an overhaul of the zero-emission program because it fails to take into account how many clean-running cars are needed to meet the state's global warming goals. Those goals were set by a 2006 law that requires a massive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions statewide.

Staff Writer Nathan Halverson, the Associated Press and the Detroit News contributed to this report.