California already leads the nation in policies advocating zero-emission vehicles.
It's home to more electric cars than any other state, and its environmental regulations are among the toughest.
But California's re-elected governor doesn't want to lose the momentum.
DON'T MISS: California Urged To Stay The Course On Electric Cars, Help Owners Charge Cheaper
Sworn in Monday for his fourth and final term, Governor Jerry Brown set some ambitious goals for his state to strive for in the years ahead.
In his inaugural address (via The Sacramento Bee), Brown called for California to cut petroleum use in cars and trucks by 50 percent by 2030.
Chevrolet Spark EV at CCS fast charging station in San Diego.
It is one of three major environmental measures Brown wants the state to undertake over the next 15 years, along with producing one-third of electricity from renewable sources, and doubling the efficiency of existing buildings while making heating fuels cleaner.
The ambitious proposal is already winning praise from electric-car advocates.
Pasquale Romano--CEO of California-based charging-station network ChargePoint--released a statement Monday in response to Brown's speech.
ALSO SEE: Six California Electric-Car Bills Signed By Governor Brown
He praised the governor's "continued commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions" and the expansion of the electric-vehicle industry in the state.
Brown has consistently supported legislation to increase the number of electric cars on California's roads.
This past September, he signed six bills intended to spur electric-car adoption during National Drive Electric Week--the second time he capped off a national electric-car advocacy event that way.
2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car, Newport Beach, CA, Nov 2014
During Brown's fourth term, California will also become ground zero for the first wave of mass-market hydrogen fuel-cell cars.
Hyundai and Toyota are launching their vehicles in the state because it's the only one with any existing refueling infrastructure to speak of--and California has funding set aside for 100 public stations over the next few years.
There's still a lot of work to be done, but on the environmental front, it should prove to be a rich and interesting final term for the man once satirized by cartoonist Garry Trudeau as "Governor Moonbeam."
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