And this is just Los Angeles. Fine particles in the air are widely recognized to contribute to increased cardiac and respiratory hospital admissions, emergency room visits, chronic bronchitis, and asthma attacks, and even early death. With most of California's more than 35 million people breathing unhealthy air at least some of the time, it is easy to see how the tab mounts up. Everything described here can be avoided - the billions of dollars spent unnecessarily every year and the human suffering. Simply by meeting federal and state air quality standards, we can stop this wasteful spending, put money back in the pocket of every Californian, and use these resources in more productive ways.
Pollution prevention is an investment.
We recognize that roads, schools, and reservoirs are investments. They are expensive to build, but pay back for many decades. Zero-emissions vehicles are a key component of the investments essential to sustainably clean transportation. Many would agree that using incentives to achieve clean air goals is preferable to regulation. Temporary economic incentives to boost EVs over the initial price threshold is just common sense.