In a pivotal victory for auto dealers and manufacturers, President Donald Trump signed a resolution blocking California’s Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC2) mandate, which aimed to require 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. Joining us on the latest episode of Inside Automotive, Brian Maas, President of the California New Car Dealers Association, breaks down what this means for California’s auto market, national EV policy, and dealer operations moving forward.
Under the federal Clean Air Act, California has historically been allowed to set its own emissions standards. The now-paused ACC2 regulation required 35% of vehicles sold in California and CARB-aligned states to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2026, on the way to a full 100% by 2035. Maas explained that the Congressional Review Act (CRA), invoked by Congress and signed into law by President Trump, nullified the waiver that allowed California to enforce those stricter rules.
The decision comes after months of lobbying by dealers, OEMs, and a 60-member coalition that urged the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to pause enforcement. Even before the CRA passed, CARB agreed to delay enforcement of the 2026 mandate.
“None of the manufacturers our dealers represent were going to meet the 35% threshold."
While 20% of new car sales in California are electric—three times the national average—Maas emphasized that’s still “well short” of the target. The current infrastructure is also far from ready. “We need 2.1 million public fast chargers by 2035… we currently have about 170,000, and we’re only adding 50,000 a year,” he noted.
Dealers have invested heavily in EV infrastructure, but many are relieved by the rollback, which gives them more flexibility in matching consumer demand. Tesla, once the dominant EV seller in California, has seen six consecutive quarters of market share decline, while franchised dealers are now outselling Tesla in the state’s EV market, according to Maas.
On Governor Gavin Newsom’s response, Maas noted California is suing to reverse the CRA, but he called the lawsuit “a Hail Mary,” adding that any new EV rule would require a waiver from the Trump administration—something “unlikely” before 2029.
Dealers remain cautiously optimistic. Maas said the biggest threats to the car market now are uncertainty, high interest rates, and tariff-related disruptions. Still, he credited NADA and other state associations for helping secure a major legislative win. “We support EVs,” he said, “but the transition needs to be market-based, not mandate-driven.”
