(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Michigan, has reintroduced the CARS Act, which would prohibit the federal government from mandating the sale of electric vehicles.
It would also protect the sale of gas-powered vehicles from restrictions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, either through emissions or engine regulations.
“Americans need access to reliable, affordable, and functional forms of transportation,” said Walberg. “The CARS Act will ensure that consumers have the freedom to decide what car works best for them and their families.”
Also known as the “Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act,” the bill was previously proposed by Walberg in 2023 and passed by a Republican-held U.S. House. It then stalled in the Democrat-held U.S. Senate.
Though President Donald Trump issued an executive order Jan. 20 eliminating the electric vehicle regulations that initially led Walberg to propose the bill, Walberg and his co-sponsor Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, said it is still important to protect consumer choice.
“While President Trump has reversed course by eliminating the de facto electric vehicle mandate imposed by the Biden-Harris Administration, we must provide certainty and stability for the automotive industry,” Walberg said.
The bill would specifically amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit any federal regulations that “mandate the use of any specific technology” or “result in limited availability of new motor vehicles based on the type of new motor vehicle engine in such new motor vehicles.”
In March 2024, the EPA set an emissions standard that would have required that approximately 60% of new vehicles sold be electric by 2032.
Consumer demand in the U.S. is nowhere near that yet, with electric vehicle sales in 2024 accounting for just 8.1% of total automotive sales, Cox Automotive reported. This is why it is important for consumer choice to be protected by the CARS Act, the sponsors said.
“Consumer choice must be what dictates any future market transition to electric vehicles—not the federal government by mandate,” Fulcher said. “This bill supports an all-of-the-above approach when it comes to fuel and recognizes that emissions have decreased substantially over the decades, all while allowing for choice in fuel types for vehicles.”
Advocates for clean energy argue that it’s important for policymakers to continue to support electric vehicles and their sales.
“The future of the auto industry is electric,” Aaron Viles, senior director of campaigns for Electrification Coalition told The Center Square.
