SEMA Sues California Over Planned Gas-Powered Truck Ban

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against certain electric vehicle mandates in California, which will be implemented via its Advanced Clean Fleets rules.

The specific mandates require medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks, including larger pickups (gross vehicle weight over 8,500 pounds), to transition to electric power starting with the 2036 model year.

These mandates target manufacturers and fleet operators and will also impact vehicles purchased and registered in other states—the rules will lead to some vehicles being barred from entering California.

According to the lawsuit filed on October 8 in the U.S. District Court’s Eastern District of California, SEMA and NTEA are seeking immediate declaratory and injunctive relief to halt the mandates, arguing that they vastly exceed California’s constitutional and statutory authority.

SEMA and NTEA also claim that these mandates have the potential to hinder innovation, as they favor one type of powertrain technology over others.

They stated that 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 once the mandates are enacted.

Regarding passenger vehicles, California will ban the sale of vehicles powered solely by gas engines starting in 2035. Plug-in hybrids with an electric range of at least 50 miles will remain permitted. The rules do not prohibit people from keeping their gas-powered vehicles or buying them used beyond 2035.