Bans on the Sale of Gasoline- And Diesel-Powered Vehicles: Why Are Policymakers Favoring Commandand- Control to the Point of Banning, and Does It Send Unintended Policy Signals?

In recent years, the adoption of command-and-control policies, from mandating sales of zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles all the way to prohibiting future sales of gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles via tailpipe carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions standards or otherwise, has gained momentum globally in the new light-duty vehicle sector. This includes the zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate in California (CARB 2017), which was later adopted by other ZEV states in the United States, the new energy vehicle mandate in China (ICCT 2018), and the recently enacted laws in the European Union (Council of the European Union 2022) and California (CARB 2022) that effectively ban the sale of new gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles after 2035.

Rubal Dua

Principal Fellow- Transport & Urban Infrastructure Rubal is a principal fellow at KAPSARC focused on understanding consumer decision making, in particular, consumer choice of energy-efficient technologies…

Rubal is a principal fellow at KAPSARC focused on understanding consumer decision making, in particular, consumer choice of energy-efficient technologies and mobility options under alternative technology and policy scenarios. Before joining KAPSARC, Rubal gained a Ph.D. at KAUST designing advanced carbon materials for energy and environmental applications, with a particular focus on energy storage, carbon capture, waste-water treatment, and hydrogen generation via solar water splitting. Prior to that, he worked at the University of Pennsylvania on a semiconductor industry-funded project, developing a continuum modeling framework for simulating the physics of micro defect formation in silicon crystals.

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