OREANDA-NEWS. September 21, 2015. In response to concerns raised by consumers, automakers and the oil industry, California lawmakers dropped a proposal to mandate a 50 percent reduction in petroleum use in cars and trucks by 2030. The provision was part of a larger measure – Senate Bill 350 – aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

Ford worked closely with industry partners and California lawmakers to highlight how the legislation would have affected consumers. “Ford is committed to improving the fuel economy of our vehicles, but this legislation mandated arbitrary petroleum cuts without taking into consideration the impact on vehicle choice and consumer costs,” said Melanie Wiegner, Ford’s Western Region Government Relations manager. “It would have ultimately limited the types of vehicles consumers could buy in California.” 

Meeting the 50 percent mandate in 15 years would have required automakers to increase sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to about 50 percent of total vehicle sales, a jump from single digits today. Through the first half of 2015, sales of battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles were less than 3 percent of all vehicle sales in the state, according to the California New Car Dealers Association.