Time for cleaner cars THE ISSUE:

Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order requiring that all passenger cars and trucks sold in the state by 2035 be either electric or zero-emission vehicles. In other words, Newsom is hoping to end the era of gasoline-powered cars and trucks.

Critics say 15 years is too long to wait for such a necessary change. Others say the deadline is impossibly soon for such a massive transition. Some wonder how California, which already struggles with rolling blackouts, will be able to generate the electricity required to power millions of vehicles.

The questions are valid. The change won’t be easy. But say this: Mr. Newsom and his state are attempting aggressive action where the federal government has failed. Facing one of the globe’s most pressing problems, California is trying to meet the challenge of climate change, even as Capitol Hill and the White House blow it off.

It amounts to leveraging California’s market power to force a national change. After all, if automakers must

California’s governor takes an aggressive stand against gasoline-powered cars.

THE STAKES:

Given the climate-change impact of vehicle emissions, New York must act, too.

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develop better, more affordable electric vehicles for California’s 40 million residents, they ’ll have economic incentive to market those cars everywhere else. (Industrial and heavy-duty vehicles are exempted from the 2035 deadline.)

So why can’t New York, also with plenty of market muscle, do the same? It can, of course. Shouldn’t Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers follow California’s lead?

To begin, this is an issue the state’s Climate Action Council, a 22-member panel created last year by the governor, must study, then present as a fully developed policy option. Perhaps even the threat of New York adding its own ban on new gas-powered vehicles will prompt automakers to build better and cheaper no-emission vehicles.

The need is clear: Combustion engines are a leading contributor to global warming. Transportation accounts for nearly 30 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

But battery-powered vehicles still account for only about 2 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S., and it’s easy to understand why buyers are wary. Despite enormous technological progress, electric vehicles are still more expensive than gas-powered cars. Their mileage range between charges for many models is limited (though some surpass 400 miles). Charging stations can be difficult to find.

By setting a deadline, Mr. Newsom is telling car companies there will be enormous new demand for electric vehicles. He’s telling manufacturers to get to work. And it’s time.

Like California, New York is already a leader in the fight against climate change. Legislation Mr. Cuomo signed last year requires a carbon-free electric system by 2040, an important step for transitioning the economy away from fossil fuels.

But New York can’t ignore the impact that millions of gas-powered cars and trucks have on climate change and on the air we breathe. This state, too, should embrace policies that can help bring an end to the tailpipe age.