California AB 2046: The Common-Sense Fuel Bill That Took 49 Other States Zero Effort

California is the only state in the country where you cannot legally install an E85 fuel conversion kit on your car. While drivers in Texas, Florida, Ohio, and every other state already have access to a fuel option that costs significantly less per gallon than conventional gasoline, California's regulatory framework has quietly blocked the technology for years, with no EPA-level objection and zero opposition when it finally came up for a vote. This article breaks down what AB 2046 does, why it matters with California gas prices running well above the national average, and exactly how to push it across the finish line in the State Senate.

It took a Stockton Democrat named Rhodesia Ransom to finally drag Sacramento toward the obvious.

Assembly Bill 2046, the Access to Affordable Gas Act, passed the Assembly floor on a 72-0 vote with no debate and no opposition. None. The bill now heads to the California State Senate, where it will need to clear committee and earn Governor Newsom's signature before it becomes law. If it does, California drivers will finally have a legal pathway to convert standard gasoline vehicles into flex fuel vehicles capable of running on E85, regular gasoline, or any blend of the two.

What AB 2046 Actually Does

The bill is straightforward. Under current California law, any device that modifies a vehicle's fuel system needs approval from the California Air Resources Board before it can be sold or installed. That requirement traces to CARB's Alternative Fuel Conversion regulation, last revised by the Board on September 26, 2013. The regulation covers retrofit systems that convert emission-controlled vehicles, 1993 model year and newer, to operate on alternative fuels including natural gas, propane, or ethanol. California's requirements for alternative fuel converters are explicitly different from U.S. EPA's requirements, which means EPA certification alone does not satisfy CARB. A kit that is fully legal in all 49 other states can still be blocked in California because the two approval frameworks are separate and CARB's is its own.

CARB has never approved an E85 flex fuel conversion kit. According to a February 2026 letter from CARB to Assemblymember Alvarez, CARB's regulations do permit alternative fuel conversion systems and CARB has historically approved several applications for such systems, including EV conversions. But since 2019, CARB has received only a few E85 kit applications and none have been approved. No manufacturer who attempted E85 certification has been publicly identified in the record available, and CARB's letter does not document a specific denial or explain what gap those applications failed to close. What is documented: no E85 kit has cleared the process.

AB 2046 would exempt EPA-approved E85 conversion kits from the CARB approval requirement. It does not mandate anything. It does not force drivers to convert. It does not force automakers to change a single bolt. It simply legalizes a voluntary, one-time installation that gives drivers a choice at the pump they have never had.

According to a legislative analysis of AB 2046 cited by CalMatters, the converter kits cost between $800 and $1,250. The leading EPA-compliant kit brand, eFlexFuel, prices its most popular model starting at $799 and its advanced model at $999, before installation costs.

Why This Bill Matters at Current Gas Prices

We covered California's fuel price crisis in detail in our Pump Prices 2026-2027 analysis. The short version: California's gasoline market is isolated from the rest of the country because CARB requires a special low-emission blend that most other states do not use. There are no pipelines bringing cheaper fuel from the Gulf Coast or Midwest. Recent refinery closures have tightened supply further.

As of early August 2026, California's average gasoline price sits at approximately $5.50 to $5.66 per gallon according to AAA and EIA data. The state hit roughly $6.17 in early May 2026 before pulling back. The U.S. national average as of the same period is approximately $4.08 to $4.10 per gallon. California is running about $1.40 to $1.60 above that, and geopolitical pressure around the Strait of Hormuz is part of what is keeping global oil prices elevated.

E85 is consistently priced less per gallon than conventional gasoline across California. At a Pearson Fuels station in Tracy earlier this year, drivers filled up for $1.85 per gallon during a promotion. Even at regular E85 pricing the savings are real. California already has over 450 E85 stations operating statewide, with 69 new stations added in 2025 alone. The infrastructure is not hypothetical. It exists.

Yes, E85 contains less energy per gallon than gasoline, roughly 27% less according to the U.S. Department of Energy, so fuel economy drops. But when E85 is priced meaningfully cheaper per gallon, the math still works in the driver's favor for cost per mile. And E85 carries an octane rating of 100 to 105, compared to 87 to 93 for pump gasoline, which opens up efficiency and performance characteristics that are well understood by anyone who has spent time around motorsport.

Assemblymember Ransom and the 72-0 Vote

Rhodesia Ransom represents California's 13th Assembly District out of Stockton. For those of us in the Sacramento region, she is right in our backyard. And she is pushing legislation that should have been a non-issue a decade ago.

The 72-0 vote with zero opposition tells you everything you need to know about how reasonable this bill is. Eight members did not vote, but not a single one voted against it. Even CARB acknowledged in its February 2026 letter to the Legislature that E85 conversion kits have the potential to deliver cost savings for California drivers. When the regulatory agency whose certification process created the bottleneck in the first place concedes the point, you know the argument is over.

Ransom framed AB 2046 as a direct response to constituent frustration. Working families in the Central Valley and across the state are watching gas prices climb while every other state in the country has access to a cheaper alternative. Her bill does not tear down CARB's authority across the board. It carves out a narrow, sensible exception for a proven technology that the EPA has already vetted.

The technology is not experimental. California is simply the last one to the table.

What Needs to Happen Next in the State Senate

AB 2046 has cleared the Assembly. It now moves to the California State Senate, where it will need to pass through committee, likely the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee, before reaching a full Senate vote. If it clears the Senate, it goes to Governor Newsom's desk.

This is the part where momentum matters. A 72-0 Assembly vote is a strong signal, but bills can stall in the Senate, get amended into something unrecognizable, or simply run out of clock. If you think California drivers deserve the same fuel choices that drivers in Texas, Florida, Ohio, and every other state already have, now is the time to say so.

How to Support AB 2046

1. Contact Your State Senator

Find your senator at https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/ by entering your address. Call or email their office and ask them to support AB 2046 when it reaches the Senate.

2. Contact Governor Gavin Newsom

Phone: (916) 445-2841
Online form: https://gov.ca.gov/contact/
Mail: Office of the Governor, 1021 O Street, Suite 9000, Sacramento, CA 95814
Ask him to sign AB 2046 if it reaches his desk.

3. Contact Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom's Office to Voice Support

Capitol Office Phone: (916) 319-2013
District Office Phone: (209) 948-7479
Email: [email protected]
Let her know her constituents and California drivers statewide are behind this bill.

4. Submit Public Comments to CARB

Online: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/applications/public-comments
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (916) 322-5594

5. Contact the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee

Phone: (916) 651-4107
Address: 1021 O Street, Suite 3350, Sacramento, CA 95814
Position letters submitted before scheduled hearings carry real weight. Check the committee's hearing schedule for AB 2046 dates and submit your letter before the posted deadline.

Sample Letter You Can Copy and Send

Subject: Support AB 2046, the Access to Affordable Gas Act

Dear Senator [Name] / Governor Newsom,

I am writing to ask for your support of Assembly Bill 2046, the Access to Affordable Gas Act, authored by Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom. This bill would allow California drivers to legally install EPA-approved E85 conversion kits, giving them a voluntary, affordable fuel option that is already legal in all 49 other states.

California drivers are currently paying approximately $5.50 to $5.66 per gallon for gasoline while the national average sits around $4.08 to $4.10. E85 is consistently priced less per gallon than conventional gasoline, and the state already has over 450 E85 fueling stations. AB 2046 does not mandate anything. It simply removes a regulatory barrier that prevents California drivers from accessing a proven, federally approved technology.

The bill passed the Assembly on a 72-0 vote with no opposition. Even CARB has acknowledged the potential cost savings of E85 conversion kits. This is common-sense legislation that delivers real relief at the pump.

I respectfully ask that you support AB 2046 and help bring California in line with the rest of the country on fuel choice.

Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Phone and Email]

Verdict

AB 2046 is not complicated legislation. It does not reinvent anything. CARB's Alternative Fuel Conversion regulation, revised in September 2013, requires any retrofit system converting an emission-controlled vehicle to run on ethanol to earn CARB certification separate from EPA approval. No E85 kit has earned it. The bill carves out a narrow exemption for kits that already carry EPA approval, kits that are legal everywhere else in the country, and lets California drivers decide for themselves whether the fuel makes sense at their pump. Assemblymember Ransom got 72 colleagues to agree without a single dissent. The Senate and the Governor should do the same.