Is this the end of gasoline cars?
California wants to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, and the EPA announced Wednesday it would approve two exemptions under the Clean Air Act that would allow the state to do so.
Approving the exemption would cripple the auto industry as companies would concentrate their zero-emission vehicles in states that have adopted California's rules, severely limiting consumer choice.
As I've said before, as California goes, so does the country. No manufacturer is going to build a different car for each state.
Who wants an all-time EV future? Car companies don't. They are now losing money every time they sell an EV.
What we are seeing here is the destruction of the American auto industry by the US government.
The industry is fighting back.
“We are disappointed that the Biden administration has approved CARB's auto emissions waiver and allowed a ban on gasoline-powered vehicles starting in 2026,” the National Automobile Dealers Association said in a statement. NADA has long supported a single national fuel economy initiative. Standards that are technically feasible, economically viable, and do not limit consumer choice. We urge the incoming Trump administration to rescind this anti-consumer order. ”
Chet Thompson, president and CEO of American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), added:
Contrary to campaign claims that it would never tell Americans what kind of cars they should drive, the Biden-Harris Environmental Protection Agency will It did just that by green-lighting a ban on car sales. The EPA's approval of California's ban and California's ban itself are illegal.
These policies harm consumers (millions of whom don't even live in California) by denying them the opportunity to purchase a new gas-powered vehicle in their home state and by raising vehicle and transportation costs. Dew. They would also undermine U.S. energy and national security. Americans want nothing to do with banning gas cars, mandating EVs, or the California radicalism that was just made abundantly clear in the vote. I think this is why the EPA waited until after the election to issue this decision.
Let me be clear about what this ban means. Gasoline, diesel, and conventional hybrid cars and trucks do not meet California's definition of “zero emissions.”
And only a small percentage (up to 20%) of plug-in hybrid cars and trucks will be sold.
It's no coincidence that news of the EPA's decision came just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court granted a lawsuit by a coalition of energy, agriculture, and biofuels groups challenging California's EV sales mandate.
Make no mistake, this is a direct attack on American consumers.
The California Air Resources Board's Advanced Clean Car II Waiver establishes a zero-emission vehicle mandate starting in 2025, with 35% of all new car sales for the 2026 model year being zero-emission vehicles; must be a battery electric vehicle. This percentage will continue to increase, and by 2035, 100% of new cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in California and 17 other states must be zero-emissions.
Those states have adopted California's rules, but most do not have sales near the 35% level required next year.
In fact, across the U.S., BEV sales were hovering around 9% in early November. In 12 “ZEV states” (plus Washington, DC), the average is less than 13% year-to-date. Approving the exemption would cripple the auto industry as companies would concentrate their zero-emission vehicles in states that have adopted California's rules, severely limiting consumer choice.
Japanese automaker Toyota, the best-selling car brand in the United States, also opposed the proposed exemption. A spokesperson said in a statement:
California regulation curbs sales of other alternative electric powertrains that help reduce carbon emissions as quickly as possible by requiring one in three cars sold to be a zero-emissions vehicle I will do it. Additionally, to meet California's mandate, dealers would need to sell more than three times as many ZEVs as they currently do.
If a customer can't afford a zero-emissions vehicle, or if that vehicle doesn't meet their needs, there may not be a non-electric vehicle on site to purchase for their mobility needs. Instead of adapting to that reality, California is doubling down and involving 11 other states and their residents.
Americans should be outraged. This is not what they voted for last month. The EPA has been doing everything it can to undermine Trump's position even before he took office.
The good news is that EPA's time is running out. President Trump will be inaugurated in less than a month. In doing so, the company reportedly intends to revoke both federal EV regulations and the waiver issued to California by the Biden administration.
If the ban continues, drivers are expected to vote with their wallets and continue driving older gas-powered cars. That would be very bad news for the auto industry.
