California EV rule faces federal lawsuit
The Trump administration has sued to challenge California’s zero-emission vehicle rule that aims to phase in EVs by 2035, a legal fight critics say could reshape vehicle choices and state emissions policy, reported. The case escalates federal–state clashes on transportation policy and future auto markets.
The U.S. Justice Department, acting for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation, filed suit in U.S. District Court on March 12, 2026. The federal complaint characterizes California’s Advanced Clean Cars II as an “illegal electric vehicle (EV) mandate” and argues the rule is preempted because it functions as a state-specific fuel-economy requirement that conflicts with federal law. The California Air Resources Board formally adopted Advanced Clean Cars II in 2022 and the regulation phases in ZEV sales targets starting at 35% in the 2026 model year, rising to 68% by 2030 and to 100% by 2035. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Governor Gavin Newsom and a coalition of ten state attorneys general previously sued the federal government on June 12, 2025 after Congress used the Congressional Review Act to rescind EPA waiver authorizations for parts of the state’s clean-vehicle program. Congressional analysts note that, under the Clean Air Act’s Section 177, 17 states plus the District of Columbia had adopted some subset of California’s vehicle-emissions standards as of 2024, creating a multi-state market impact for any legal ruling on the rule’s enforceability [].
