75% of Americans are opposed to any kind of gas-powered vehicle ban
The latest chapter of the battle against California’s 2035 gas-powered car ban began last week following EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin saying that he would subject the agency’s approval of those California regulations to congressional scrutiny. Essentially, all those things former President Joe Biden did in December to try and protect the 2035 mandate have been undone.
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Since California Governor Gavin Newsom first signed the executive order in September 2020 to make all passenger cars zero emission by 2035, the policy has been in a politically gray area. While the policy launched other states to make similar laws, it soon faced something that Californian-led policies rarely receive – contraction. Some states left the 2035 gas-powered car ban policy, including Virginia last year. Others reacted more strongly, like Wyoming, which is currently trying to ban the sale of all electric car sales in the state by 2035.
For California, the 2035 goal is likewise becoming much less ideal as the sale of all-electric cars has stagnated in the past few years. 2024 electric rates were around 21.4% of all cars sold in the state – with the figure remaining unchanged from 2023. California is also likely to miss the electric vehicle sales goal of 35% by 2026, which will force the state to delay the original 2035 end date. Or the state can change it to include the far more popular hybrid vehicles. Newsom and other California lawmakers are feeling increased pressure to do something about it thanks to the declining sales.
In November 2024, Governor Newsom, faced with president-elect Donald Trump saying he would end the federal EV rebate resulting in reducing the number of electric cars sold in California, announced he would bring back state rebates to electric cars. While the backlash against that announcement was swift, Newsom stood firm on the decision, even after Trump made good on his promise to end the mandate on the day of his inauguration.
But the thing is electric gar growth can only grow so much, with consumer acceptance likewise being slow. Long charge times, a lack of charging facilities, high battery replacement costs, limited range, high initial costs – the list goes on. And studies have shown that, even with all mandates going full force, only 25% of all cars sold in the U.S. in 2030 will be electric, far below the 44% federal and 68% California goals. In addition, a large number of states and automakers have been fighting back against the mandates over concerns of demand and consumer cost. Toyota said that the mandates are impossible to meet and will likely fall far short of goals. Studies further showed that hybrids are preferred over electric, as many consumers have concerns over charging times, car battery life, and the ease of finding charging stations, especially outside of California.
The end of Newsom’s 2035 gas-powered car ban mandate?
And then there are the consumer polls. In Connecticut, a very blue state, 59% of residents oppose a gas-powered car sales ban. In Washington state, also very blue, 48% oppose Washington’s 2035 mandate as opposed to 38% approving of it. And in California it is changing rapidly. Back in 2022, a poll showed 55% of registered voters in California approving the 2035 mandate, with 39% opposing it. But, with each passing year, Californians are more opposed to it. Rising charge rates, a lack of vehicle choice, and other negatives have made more Californians oppose it than support it.
Those polls just centered around blue states too. Nationwide, polls have shown that 75% of Americans are against any kind of gas-powered vehicle ban.
The overall EV market is growing naturally, seeing sales shoot up by 7.3% last year. People do want electric cars. But forcing people to buy them without any kind of transition plan has led to California’s stalled market. Industry experts have said that the smart move would have been a transitionary mandate, getting people to switch to hybrids to have them be more used to more electric vehicles and give time for electric car technology to develop. Then a switchover to electric when things like charging times and battery technology become more palatable.
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