Major automakers on Wednesday said a California plan, which requires more new cars to be electric annually until they account for all new vehicles by 2035, may be unworkable in 11 other states that adopted it because of insufficient consumer demand.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents most major automakers except Tesla (TSLA.O), raised the concerns in comments to the U.S. Environment Protection Agency on California's proposal.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) asked the EPA for a waiver under the Clean Air Act to implement its plan to end sales of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035.
The onus for complying with the rules rests with automakers but it is unclear "whether customers in each jurisdiction will accept (zero-emission vehicle) technologies and purchase them in sufficient quantities. These are largely beyond the control of automakers," the group said.
Sales of electric, plug-in electric hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will need to more than double in all but one state adopting California's rules and triple in five, the group said.
CARB and EPA did not immediately comment.
Separately, the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, urged EPA to reject California's plan, which it said represents "the ultimate regulatory intervention."
President Joe Biden's administration has avoided setting a date to phase out the sale of gasoline-only vehicles.
The EPA in April separately proposed rules to cut vehicle emissions through 2032, forecasting automakers would need to produce 60% EVs by 2030 and 67% by 2032 to meet requirements. Reuters reported this month the EPA plans to soften yearly requirements through 2030.
California's rules start in the 2026 model year and would cut smog-causing pollution from light-duty vehicles by 25% by 2037. They mandate 35% of new cars sold be electric or plug-in hybrid by 2026. That proportion will rise to 68% by 2030 and 100% by 2035.
