The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) have filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against some of California’s electric vehicle mandates, which the state plans to implement via its Advanced Clean Fleets rules.
The specific mandates require medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks, including bigger pickups (gross vehicle weight over 8,500 pounds), to switch to electric power starting with the 2036 model year.
The mandates are aimed at manufacturers and fleet operators, and would also affect vehicles purchased and registered in another state—the rules would result in some vehicles being banned from entering the state.
As stated in the lawsuit, which was filed on Oct. 8 in the U.S. District Court’s Eastern District of California, SEMA and NTEA are seeking immediate declaratory and injunctive relief to stop the mandates, claiming that they far exceed California’s constitutional and state statutory authority.
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SEMA and NTEA also claim that the mandates have the potential to hinder innovation, as they favor one type of powertrain technology over other solutions.
SEMA and NTEA said they filed the lawsuit on behalf of their members who own and operate fleets of vehicles affected by the mandates, or for members who manufacture, market, and sell specialty vehicles, trucks, and automotive aftermarket products that may become obsolete in California and other markets after the mandates are introduced.
When it comes to passenger vehicles, California starting in 2035 will ban the sale of vehicles powered purely by a gas engine. Plug-in hybrids with an electric range of at least 50 miles will still be allowed. The rules also doesn’t ban people from keeping their gas-powered vehicles, or buying them used, beyond 2035.