(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Less than two days after Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 election, vehicle manufacturer Toyota publicly rebuked the Biden-Harris administration’s infamous “de facto” gas-powered car ban.
Addressing reporters on Friday, Jack Hollis, the chief operating officer of Toyota North America, stated that the outgoing administration’s EV policies are disconnected from reality and consumer demand.
“The whole EV ecosystem is ahead of the consumer,” Hollis said, according to Forbes, referencing the tailpipe emissions ban set by the Biden-led Environmental Protection Agency and the California government.
Dealing a major blow to one of the administration’s key initiatives, he emphasized, “It’s not in alignment with consumers. It’s just not.”
Hollis’s comments come on the heels of the federal government’s introduction of unprecedented tailpipe emissions regulations in March, aimed at forcing automakers to prioritize the sale of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
House Republicans have dubbed this order a “de facto ban” on the sale of gas-powered and traditional hybrid vehicles. Lawmakers passed a joint resolution to repeal the mandate in September. Notably, eight Democrats joined Republicans in opposition to the rule.
“This is a de-facto electric vehicle mandate that will put all 77,580 manufacturing jobs in MI-10 at great risk of extinction,” warned Rep. John James, R-Mich., who introduced the resolution, which garnered support from 120 lawmakers.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., echoed James’s sentiments, writing, “The radical agenda of the Biden-Harris Administration continues to overregulate our free market, and this latest move is yet another attempt to dictate what kinds of vehicles Americans can buy.”
By contrast, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan praised the order earlier in the year, claiming it would “slash over 7 billion tons of climate pollution, improve air quality in overburdened communities, and give drivers more clean vehicle choices while saving them money.”
However, with Trump’s landslide victory on Tuesday, he will likely swiftly repeal the mandate once he takes office. The Biden-Harris administration’s final day is Jan. 20, 2025.
