5 Automakers Side With California For Tougher Emission Standards

Five automakers are siding with the EPA in a battle over emissions standards in California.  Specifically, BMW, Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, and Volvo are all supporting California's desire to set it own regulations. They've filed a motion in a lawsuit filed against the EPA for reinstating California’s waiver under the Clean Air Act for its greenhouse gas (GHG) and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) standards. The waiver essentially allows California to make it own, stricter emissions rules.

The automakers issued a joint statement about their motion:

"As the five original California Framework companies, we stood with California in 2020 in support of the state's ability to set stricter vehicle emissions standards. Today's decision by Ford, Volkswagen Group, BMW Group, Honda, and Volvo to intervene in this suit reaffirms that commitment. We urge the Court to affirm the EPA's Waiver Decision and allow California to protect people's health and combat climate change by setting clean air standards. Doing so would move us closer to a zero-emission transportation future and make a positive contribution to the global regulatory framework." –  BMW, Ford Motor Company, Honda, Volkswagen Group,  and Volvo Cars 

Key excerpts from Motion to Intervene:

• Ford, Volkswagen, BMW Group, Honda and Volvo Cars—which sold millions of motor vehicles in the United States in 2021—support the Waiver Decision and California's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new light-duty motor vehicles.  Ford, Volkswagen, BMW Group, Honda, and Volvo Cars are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in their own fleets. 
• California has long played an important role in regulating the automobile industry alongside EPA...as the industry continuously innovates and uses ever-lower-emitting technologies. This has helped enable the Automobile Manufacturers to address the emissions from motor vehicles they sell, including in states such as California where the effects of air pollution are especially severe.
• California's role as a leader in driving reductions in emissions from motor vehicles is critical to enabling the automobile industry to address these challenges effectively and under a consistent set of standards.  Now, electrification is the innovation that will eliminate emissions from vehicles while also providing drivers with performance, power, and digital integration that was never possible before.  Confirming the validity of the Waiver Decision will promote stability and regulatory certainty while the industry goes electric. 
• Honda, Ford, Volkswagen, BMW Group, and Volvo Cars have supported stricter greenhouse gas standards ... and agreed with California to abide by standards for Model Years 2021 and 2022 that are more stringent than the applicable federal rules. 

Photo Credit: Ford.