California’s industry seeks an exemption from the new law.
California’s recently ratified law will prohibit the sale of small, off-road engines starting January 1, 2024. These are the powerplants used in leaf blowers and lawnmowers. The current text also applies to RVs with built-in generators. This new regulation has upset many businesses, and the California RV Dealers Association is trying to change it. Built-in generators are an extremely common accessory for motorhomes. This could mean that you may not be able to buy a vehicle in California with them starting in 2024.
California RV Dealers Association wants to see this law exempt built-in RV generators. The association is asking members of the motorhome trade to call in to the California Air Resources Board meeting on December 9, to explain why they find this regulation so problematic. “The biggest disappointment in this is that the people running the individual manufacturing companies don’t know what’s happening,” California RV Dealers Association Director David Tenney stated RVBusiness. “The few CEOs and presidents I’ve spoken to are totally in the dark.”
California law states that there are no emission equivalents for all small off-road engines that are regulated by the State Air Resources Board. Critics of the regulation point out that although this technology is available, they are more costly than those powered by combustion engines. It takes longer to recharge current battery packs than it would take to refuel an engine. The 2020 executive order by California Governor Gavin Newsom, stopped the sale of passenger cars powered by combustion in the state. This also applies to dirt bikes, UTVs and other equipment that you would use off-road . By 2045, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles will need zero-emissions powertrains. New York responded in to California’s ban on combustion vehicles by passing a comparable regulation, which also starts in 2035.