Trump wants to kill California’s emission standards. This is what it means to electric cars
This week, the White House and President Donald Trump tried to kill California once and for all to accelerate the sale of zero-emission cars and trucks in the state. Trump signed three resolutions to revoke California’s nearly 60-year-old powers to formulate his own motor vehicle emission rules at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
To this end, the federal government is targeting one of the world’s most ambitious automotive electrification plans, as well as climate policy: California’s goal of banning new gasoline-powered vehicles in the state from 2035 to 2035. The state, along with 10 others and others, promised to follow more aggressive cargo rules, to make our new sales ranges a year-round range for our new sales range. Today, a quarter of the cars sold in California are battery-electric or plug-in hybrids.
Experts say the move will not affect the cars available in the showroom, today and even next year. But attempts to revoke California’s powers, along with another set of policies for electric vehicles, including the Environmental Protection Agency bid, the revocation of vehicle fuel economy standards, Congress pushing for the Knicks electric vehicle tax credit, and the Department of Transportation’s funding suspension of state EV charging infrastructure, could impact car buyers’ interests in cars. In other words: the electrical atmosphere is very poor.
“Production decisions are baked and take years to change,” said Cara Horowitz, executive director of the Emmett Institute for Climate Change and UCLA Law School environment. “But if there is a feeling of loss among consumers, there is a feeling of loss among consumers.” [electric vehicle] The momentum is, which can be felt in the market. ”
“It’s a big headwind,” Simon Mui said.
California filed a lawsuit immediately Thursday. Gov. Gavin Newsom also directed state agencies to find new ways to promote zero-emission vehicles in the state.
The resolution is based on a novel legal theory proposed by Republican lawmakers that they can use congressional powers that generally apply to federal agency rules to remove California’s “immunity” authority, which was formed in 1967 as part of the Landmark Clean Air Act. These exemptions give the state a unique authority to set its own stricter vehicle emission standards.
“It’s a completely unprecedented approach,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in an interview. The Trump administration “trying to mainstream these marginal theories or these completely legitimate theories to try to do what they can’t actually do.”
Ten other states, including Colorado, Massachusetts, New York and Washington, also joined the lawsuit.
The shape changes in the U.S. electric car market seem to have had an impact on buyers’ attitudes towards battery-powered cars. Sales data show that while Americans are still buying electric, growth has slowed. These sentiments, along with changing regulations and tariff policies, have brought “unprecedented” levels of “damage” for automakers, according to a report released last week by Bank of America analysts. “The next four years will be the most uncertain and turbulent time ever,” they wrote. Analysts noted that the models will allow automakers to release only 159 new models from 2026 to 2029, with an annual average of less than 20 years ago.
