Toyotaa leader in hybrid vehicle technology, pushes back against the Californian trend VE regulations, which require 35% of model year 2026 vehicle sales to be zero-emission. The automaker says this requirement is “impossible” to meet and should be reevaluated.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted its “Advanced Clean Cars 1“mandate in 2012, which covered vehicles from model years 2015 to 2025. In 2020, an amendment, “Advanced Clean Cars II”, was announced to set standards for model years 2026-2035. Approved in 2022, this second law was more than a simple extension of the previous mandate.

The update CARB Rules specifies not only that all new car sales in the state must be 100% zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) by 2035, but that before the change, more than a third of the year’s sales 2026 model were also to be ZEVs. Because calendar years and model years no longer coincide, 2026 cars will be available starting next year. Even though ZEVs include battery electric, fuel cell, and some plug-in hybrid propulsion, Toyota’s argument is that the consumer demand simply isn’t there to meet CARB standards.

“I haven’t seen any forecast from anyone, government or private, anywhere, that has told us that this number is achievable,” Jack Hollis, chief operating officer of Toyota Motor North America, said in a press release. CNBC report. “At this point it seems impossible. The demand is not there. This will limit the customer’s choice of vehicles they want.

So far, 12 states and Washington, D.C., have adopted CARB rules, but half will put the regulations into effect starting in 2027. Still, according to JD Power, no states have complied with CARB until present this year. In fact, the numbers aren’t even close to the crowned 35 percent. JD Power reports that on average, ZEV adoption nationally sits at an average rate of 9 percent.

Only three states achieved at least 20 percent of ZEV sales through October. They are in California, ColoradoAnd Washington. Colorado and Washington accounted for 22% and 20% of retail sales comprising electric vehicles and PHEVs, respectively. And yes, California leads in electric vehicle sales, but only at 27%. Isn’t that ironic? And all this remains far from being a Bloomberg forecast 50 percent electric vehicles by 2030.

The decline of electric vehicles is not just a national problem, either. In Europe, Italy and the Czech Republic have asked the European Union to revise its 2035 ban on vehicles equipped with thermal engines. So far, the only exception made by the EU Climate Commission is authorize the sale of vehicles running on electronic fuelsat the request of Germany. Since e-fuels are developed using captured CO2 and renewable energy, they can technically be considered emissions-free.

Toyota’s Hollis reiterates that if CARB’s mandates remain unchanged, the market will essentially be in existential chaos. “It’s going to distort the industry,” he said. “This will distort activity. For what? Because this is unnatural in relation to current market demand.

CARB states already receive a disproportionate amount of electric vehicles, and some automakers are holding back some vehicles altogether. For example, Stellantis has stopped shipping gasoline-only vehicles to CARB statesmaking ICE Jeeps and others available only through special order.

Don’t be surprised if other automakers start pushing back against impending CARB mandates. Especially when the changing of the guard in January involves an administration that has I’ve never been a fan of California’s emissions and fuel economy standards..