RICHMOND, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW/AP) — Virginia will no longer adhere to California’s electric vehicle mandate as of January 1, 2025. The mandate required all new cars sold to transition to electric models over time. In June 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced the decision, stating, “The idea that government should tell people what kind of car they can or can’t purchase is fundamentally wrong. Virginians deserve the freedom to choose which vehicles best fit the needs of their families and businesses.”
Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a statement, “EV mandates like California’s are unworkable and out of touch with reality, and thankfully the law does not bind us to their regulations. California does not control which cars Virginians buy, and any thoughts that automobile manufacturers should face millions of dollars in civil penalties rather than allowing our citizens to choose their own vehicles is completely absurd.”
Natural and Historic Resources Secretary Travis A. Voyles stated that Virginia will default to federal standards.
Virginia’s “clean cars” law was initially adopted in 2021. It required that, starting in 2024, a certain percentage of new passenger vehicles sold by manufacturers be electric or hybrid electric. California has had the authority to set its own rules for decades under a waiver from the federal Clean Air Act.
Jaclyn Piermarini…