Success! Idaho-backed legal effort stops California electric truck mandates

Idaho was among 17 states that successfully sought a repeal of California’s harmful electric truck mandates, called the “Advanced Clean Fleet.” The original rule from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) would have placed onerous burdens on trucking companies to “phase out” internal combustion engines in favor of electric vehicles – introducing higher costs and uncertainty into the supply chain.

Because California’s rule would have applied to out-of-state companies, its effect would have extended far beyond California’s borders. The California Globe reports that 30% of vehicle imports come through California, meaning that the mandates “would be imposed on the entire country as well.”

As a result of the Idaho-backed legal challenge, California recently agreed to repeal its costly mandates. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador praised the settlement, as his office played a key part in getting these rules eliminated instead of just letting them take effect.

Labrador said the settlement “is a major win for state sovereignty, economic freedom, and the constitutional limits on unilateral regulation.”

He also noted in his weekly newsletter update: “California is free to pursue its own environmental goals within its own borders. What it cannot do is transform the nation’s trucking standards by threatening exclusion from its markets. Idaho joined this litigation to defend the principle that policy decisions with nationwide consequences must be made through constitutional processes—not dictated by a single state’s regulatory agency.”

Electric vehicles, along with electric trucks, will continue to be a growing share of the vehicle fleet, but mandating a transition while the technology is still in its relative infancy is problematic. Range continues to plague electric trucks as they carry heavy payloads, and a lack of electrification infrastructure requires massive upgrades from power and utility companies to supply vehicles. Finally, those incorporating electric trucks today cite costly infrastructure, like “behind-the-fence charging,” as the main hurdle to feasibility.

State officials and lawmakers should avoid mandating costly and burdensome EV requirements. As prices fall via competition and innovation, freight movers will adopt these technologies voluntarily. Mandating trucks to be EVs may work against the intended purpose and make matters worse. Thankfully, this successful legal challenge provides more time for market solutions to work.

The full settlement can be found here.