(FILES) In this file photo taken on January 04, 2021, a Tesla Inc. electric vehicle charges at a supercharger station in Redondo Beach, California. - All new cars sold in California by 2035 will have to be zero emission under plans set to be adopted by the state this week, as the biggest economy in the United States drives a nationwide fossil fuel evolution. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)

The US state of California wants to ban the sale of cars with internal combustion engines from 2035. According to a decision by the responsible Californian regulatory authority expected on Thursday, new cars sold must then be emission-free.

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On the way there, more than a third of all new cars sold are to be emission-free from 2026 and then more than two thirds from 2030.

Although the requirements only affect the US west coast state, they are likely to have an impact on large parts of the USA. With around 40 million inhabitants, California is the most populous state in the USA and also the largest sales market for cars in the country. Many car manufacturers – and also other states – are therefore based on the Californian specifications. This should further strengthen the trend towards electric cars.