SEMA Says Members Oppose California’s 2035 ICE Ban

March 5, 2024 1:50 pm

At the moment, a number of U.S. states – as well as the European Union as a whole – are seeking to implement a ban on the sale of new ICE vehicles that would begin in the coming years and feature stair steps of sort until taking full effect in 2035 – though plug-in hybrids would still be allowed to be sold. California is leading that particular charge in the U.S. after announcing its ICE ban back in 2020, which it is asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to approve. While Ford and some other automakers have long supported such legislation, others continue to fight it and argue that it simply isn’t realistic, and that list now includes members of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA).

A number of SEMA member companies have come forth expressing opposition to the “Advanced Clean Cars II” (ACC II) regulation stemming from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which would ban the sale of new ICE vehicles by 2035. Those entities expressed their concerns to the EPA via 5,000 letters asking the agency not to grant California the waiver that it needs for ACC II to take effect.

SEMA argues that if approved, ACC II would adversely impact automotive businesses, their employees, and millions of automotive enthusiasts, particularly since 17 other states have followed suit by enacting at least a portion of these same regulations. SEMA also noted that currently, small businesses that build and sell performance parts and accessories for ICE engines contribute around $112 billion to the U.S. economy.

“This far too-fast mandate will create a seismic shift in the automotive industry that will hurt small businesses that don’t have the capacity to make the shift this quickly,” SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola said in his testimony during the EPA’s public hearing on this matter. “While the federal government is helping some parts of the automotive industry, small businesses aren’t receiving billions of dollars in government funds to fund their electric vehicle programs. For many specialty aftermarket businesses, which are not receiving government subsidies and can’t afford to sustain massive losses, requiring all new vehicles sold to be ZEV by 2035 poses an existential threat.”

We’ll have more on this proposed ICE ban soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.