In its Advanced Clean Cars regulation package, released yesterday, the board mandated electric vehicle growth by forcing manufacturers to boost production of electric cars between 2018 and 2025.

By the end of the period, one in seven vehicles (15.4%) sold in California are to be electric or plug-in models. Coupled with stricter targets for conventionally powered vehicles, the board said it would cut state-wide fuel costs by at least 40% with a near 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.

To meet ongoing targets, the board said it was aiming for 87% of the state’s vehicles to be plug-in or electric models by the middle of the century.

ARB Chairman Mary D Nichols said: 'This package assures the development of environmentally superior cars that will continue to deliver the performance, utility, and safety vehicle owners have come to expect.

'California’s groundbreaking requirement for steadily increasing numbers of zero-emission vehicles provides the underpinning we need for a rapid shift to cars that reduce our dependence on petroleum and toward cheaper and cleaner alternative domestic fuels like electricity and hydrogen.'