Daimler Truck, Volvo Group, Paccar, and Traton have sued California over its obligation to follow the state’s emissions rules, joining US President Trump in the war against EV mandates. The truck manufacturers want to follow the less stringent federal regulations and disregard the state-level emissions rules that have been in place for decades.

In June, US President Donald Trump launched his offensive against electric vehicle mandates, and more specifically, the California Air Resources Board (CARB)’s rules, which have traditionally been more stringent than in other states and than the federal rules. Even the Supreme Court has joined the battle to end California’s authority.

Straightforward rules

California wants to ban new combustion-powered cars by 2035, while new trucks face the same obligation between 2035 and 2042, depending on their weight class. A ruling that Trump sees as “wildly unrealistic”, as the president wants to keep US manufacturers happy. Currently, electric truck sales are still marginal in the US, with Daimler selling less than 1% electric trucks, and Volvo around 1.7%.

In short, President Trump has moved to revoke California’s authority to ban the sale of new combustion vehicles, prompting an immediate lawsuit from the state. Now, four of the largest truckmakers (Daimler, Volvo, Paccar, and Traton), which represent the majority of the market, have joined Trump in suing California to get out of the Clean Truck Partnership.

The manufacturers feel that they are “caught in the crossfire” and want clarity on the rules they must follow to sell their vehicles in California. And, ideally, to follow the less stringent federal laws, rather than California’s EV mandates. But California is not alone in imposing these mandates, as 12 other states have done so, representing around 25% of the national market.

Heavy criticism from environmental groups

Many environmental groups have criticized the truckmakers’ decision to back away from their 2023 commitment. Representatives of CARB, the National Resources Defense Council, the Public Citizen’s Climate Program, Evergreen Action, GreenLatinos, and the Sierra Club have all released statements expressing their disappointment.

Only last week, many of these environmental groups published an open letter, urging truck manufacturers to reaffirm their commitment to electrification. Now, a federal judge will need to rule whether the Clean Truck Partnership will remain obligatory for the manufacturers in light of the federal rollback of EV mandates.

Will there be a divide between manufacturers?

Of course, nothing prevents manufacturers from following the state-level rules anyway, or even self-imposing even stricter emissions goals. Some manufacturers may still want to remain in California’s good graces, which could result in incentives to support their electrification investments.