California steps up fuel economy fight
State will stop buying GM, Fiat vehicles over auto emissions tussle
WASHINGTON— The state of California will stop buying cars made by General Motors Co., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and other automakers that have sided with U.S. President Donald Trump in a fight over fuel economy rules that has sharply divided the country’s automakers.
GM, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota and the Association of Global Automakers, which lobbies in Washington for foreign-owned automakers, have lined up with the president in a fight over gasmileage rules with California, while Ford Motor Co., Honda Motor Co., Volkswagen AG and BMW AG have sided with the Golden State.
“Carmakers that have chosen to be on the wrong side of history will be on the losing end of CA’s buying power,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted Saturday. “CA will stop purchasing vehicles from carmakers that have refused to protect our air & chosen to follow the regressive ways of @realDonaldTrump.”
The California Department of General Services said beginning on Jan. 1, it will only purchase vehicles from carmakers that recognize the California Air Resources Board’s “authority to set greenhouse gas and zero emission vehicle standards, and which have committed to continuing stringent emissions reduction goals for their fleets.”
Police departments and other safety agencies can continue to purchase cars from the manufacturers.
GM said in a statement: “It is unfortunate that California has announced it may remove the Chevrolet Bolt EV — the first affordable EV with a range of 259 miles on a single charge — from consideration for its statewide fleet.
“Removing vehicles like the Chevy Bolt and prohibiting GM and other manufacturers from consideration will dramatically reduce California’s choices for affordable, American-made electric vehicles and limit its ability to reach its goal of minimizing the state government’s carbon footprint, a goal that GM shares,” the Detroit manufacturer said.
Fiat Chrysler said, also in a statement: “FCA fully embraces the goal of reducing vehicle emissions to ensure an environmentally sustainable future. To that end, we are investing 9 billion euros ($13 billion Canadian) to launch more than 30 electrified nameplates by 2022. And we are delivering continual improvement in fleet fuel economy.”
Toyota did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
From 2016 to 2018, California purchased 2,130 GM vehicles, 2,361 Fiat Chrysler vehicles and 366 Toyota vehicles, according to the state’s General Services department. During the same period, California purchased 2,461 Ford products.
California’s announcement is the latest salvo in a battle over auto emission rules that has been waged between the state and the Trump administration since the earliest days of Trump’s presidency.
The state worked with the Obama administration to craft stringent gas mileage rules that would have required carmakers to produce fleets that average over 50 miles per gallon (21 km per litre) by 2025. Trump moved almost immediately after taking office to begin rolling back those rules, prompting California to reach a separate agreement with Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and BMW. GM, FCA and other automakers resisted pressure from Congressional Democrats to join the voluntary agreement with California, ultimately siding with the Trump administration in a court case that is currently being adjudicated.
Carmakers had initially asked the Trump administration to take another look at fuel-economy rules for the 2022-25 model years. Those Obama-era standards would have required automakers to increase fleetwide fuel economy by about five per cent annually toward a goal of 54.5 m.p.g. by 2025. The Obama administration moved to finalize the rules ahead of schedule after Trump’s 2016 victory, setting off a chain of events that has led to today’s dispute. Trump went beyond what most automakers were seeking by proposing a freeze that would lock in m.p.g. rates until 2026 at 2020 levels, when carmakers would be required to produce fleets that average about 39 m.p.g.
California, which helped craft the Obama-era rules, sued over the rollback and has promised to also sue over the revocation of its right to set its own morestringent mpg requirements.