The U.S. Senate has voted to repeal a waiver that allowed California to enforce a ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by the 2035 calendar year. The 51-44 vote passed largely along party lines, and was supported by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a lobbying group that includes General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai, and several other major auto manufacturers. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the the state intends to sue the Trump administration over the repeal. The move follows broader efforts to reign in accelerated EV adoption.
California’s EV mandate was previously eyed for adoption by 11 other states. Last year, EVs accounted for roughly 23 percent of California’s new vehicle sales, with the Golden State aiming for 35 percent by the 2026 model year and 68 percent by 2030.
Meanwhile, automakers state that the EV mandate could have a major negative impact on U.S. manufacturing and jobs, while critics argue that mandating EVs at the scale proposed was impossible given the lack of charging infrastructure and a general decline in EV demand across the nation. Notably, Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, sided with Republicans in the vote, citing her obligation to protect Michigan’s auto workforce.
General Motors has already publicly committed to an all-electric future, with plans to eliminate tailpipe emissions from its light-duty lineup by 2035. However, even with these internal EV targets, the company and its industry peers have voiced concerns about regulatory mandates that may outpace infrastructure development and consumer adoption.
The broader political landscape also remains in flux. Vermont, one of the states expected to mirror California’s EV sales rules, has temporarily paused its EV sales rules, with state governor Phil Scott citing technological and infrastructure gaps. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is working to roll back emissions regulations to 2020 levels and dismantle the federal EV tax credit amid a broader pushback against electrification efforts.
