Trump Wants to Kill California’s Emissions Standards. Here’s What That Means for EVs

This week, the White House and President Donald Trump tried to kill, once and for all, California’s plan to accelerate the sale of zero cars and trucks in the state. During a ceremony in Washington, DC on Thursday by truck frames, Trump signed three resolutions adopted by the congress to revoke The power of almost 60 years of California to establish its own Establishment of motor vehicle emissions.

In doing so, the federal government aims to one of the most ambitious – and climate policies electrification diets – in the world: California’s objective Prohibit the sale of new gas vehicles in the state by 2035. The state, as well as 10 others who have undertaken to follow its more aggressive programs rules, represent nearly a third of the sales of new cars from the United States each year, which gives it a huge power to dictate the country’s automotive market. Today, one in four vehicles sold in California is either electric or rechargeable hybrid vehicles.

This decision will not affect the types of cars available in exhibition halls and on lots today, or even next year, say the experts. But the attempt to revoke the powers of California, as well as a series of other policies intended for electric vehicles, in particular the offer of the Environmental Protection Agency Return of vehicle fuel economy standards, Congress’ Push towards nix EV tax creditsand the transport service Break on financing For national EV load infrastructure, could affect the interest of car buyers to become electric. In other words: electric vibrations are bad.

“Automobile production decisions are cooked and take years to change,” said Cara Horowitz, executive director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the UCLA School of Law. “But if there is a feeling among consumers of a loss [electric vehicle] Momentum, which could be felt on the market. »»

“This is a big front wind,” explains Simon Mui, who manages the plea of ​​vehicle policies specific to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

California immediately replied Thursday with a trial. Governor Gavin Newsom too Educated state organizations To find new ways to promote zero emission vehicles in the state.

Resolutions are based on a new legal theory advanced by republican legislators that they can use the power of the congress usually applied to the rules of the Federal Agency to remove the authority of California, which was created in 1967 within the framework of the Landmark Clean Air. These derogations give the state a unique power to set its own strict vehicle issuance standards.

“This is an unprecedented approach,” said California prosecutor Rob Bonta in an interview. The Trump administration “tries to grow these marginal theories, or simply completely inappropriate theories, to try to do things that they cannot really do.”

Ten other states, including Colorado, Massachusetts, New York and Washington, joined the trial.

The changing form of the American electric vehicle market seems to have already had an effect on buyers’ attitudes towards cars powered by battery. Sales data show that while Americans still buy electricity, the The growth rate has slowed down. These feelings, as well as the evolution of regulations and pricing policies, have led to “unprecedented” levels of “ravages” for car manufacturers, according to a report published last week by analysts of Bank of America. “The next four years + will be the most uncertain and volatile time of the product strategy,” they wrote. Analysts noted that the years of model 2026 to 2029 will see car manufacturers will only publish 159 new American models, at an annual average than 20 previous years.