Automakers aren’t happy about a California mandate that requires manufacturers to sell 1.4 million electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell vehicles by 2025. As such, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers have filed a petition with the Environmental Protection Agency to block the state’s mandate. Mary Nichols, chairman of the California Air Resources Board, chided car companies for “shooting yourselves in the foot,” while speaking at the SAE International World Congress. Nichols also asked, “Rather than rehashing the same, tired legal battles of our past, why not work together to collectively support and develop this market?”
Of course, as Bloomberg points out, automakers can only comply with the plan if buyers want to bring home zero-emission models in high volumes. So far, that hasn’t happened. “It serves no one, not the state economy or consumers or automakers, to have these vehicles sit unsold on dealer lots,” said Gloria Bergquist, a spokesperson with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
Of course, as Bloomberg points out, automakers can only comply with the plan if buyers want to bring home zero-emission models in high volumes. So far, that hasn’t happened. “It serves no one, not the state economy or consumers or automakers, to have these vehicles sit unsold on dealer lots,” said Gloria Bergquist, a spokesperson with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
