By the SEMA Washington, D.C., office
In a major reversal, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont this week said an electric-vehicle (EV) mandate was no longer under consideration for the state.
Connecticut, as a CARB state, had sought--and failed--to phase out all new sales of internal-combustion engines by 2035, and was also adhering to current Biden Administration Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules, which say 56% of new cars must be electric by 2032.
"No," Lamont told reporters when asked if EV mandates were still on the table. "We were following the federal standards, and I think the federal standards are no more," referring to the expected Trump Administration action to void the current EPA tailpipe emissions rule.
The decision represents a major advocacy win for SEMA and its members. SEMA is not anti-EV, but rather believes that government should remain technology-neutral in its efforts to support carbon emissions reductions. Mandates favor single modes of technology, stifling innovation and kneecapping efforts to develop other promising solutions.
SEMA invested heavily to educate Connecticut residents and lawmakers about the dire impact of EV mandates on their state, commissioning a poll showing overwhelming disapproval of a state ban on gas-powered vehicles, and running an advertisement that aired statewide and online to highlight the automotive aftermarket's innovative work to improve vehicles and encourage the use of alternative fuels. SEMA also highlighted Connecticut's vibrant automotive aftermarket industry, whose annual economic impact exceeds $3.79 billion, and supports more than 13,000 jobs, $1.26 billion in total wages and benefits, and $195 million in state and local taxes paid.