The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to pass the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act, with five Democrats and each Republican member voting for the bill. If passed into law, the CARS Act, supported by SEMA, would prohibit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from finalizing the agency's proposed federal emissions standards for light and medium duty motor vehicles model years '27 to '32. The emissions mandate would require electric vehicles (EVs) to make up 67 percent of all new vehicle sales by 2032. The CARS Act would also prevent future EPA motor-vehicle emissions regulations that would mandate certain technologies or limit the availability of vehicles based on engine type. SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola and member companies have been vocal in opposing the EPA's proposed rule. If the rule is finalized, the EPA estimates 67 percent of new sedans, crossovers, SUVs, and light truck purchases would be electric by 2032, while EVs would make up 50 percent of bus and garbage trucks, 35 percent of short-haul freight tractors, and 25 percent of long-haul freight tractors. The passage of the CARS Act comes just days after American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) released the results of a national survey that found 60 percent of likely voters oppose the EPA's proposed EV mandates. A further breakdown of likely voters found that the majority of Republicans (87 percent) and Independents (61 percent) oppose the EPA's de facto internal combustion engine (ICE) ban, while Democrats are split on the matter (41 percent support, 32 percent oppose, 27 percent undecided).
