Electric Vehicle Regulations and Laws: A Primer for Decision Makers

The document outlines several key EV-related policies. In California, the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulation targets light- and medium-duty vehicle OEMs, while the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule requires OEMs of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to sell ZEVs or NZEVs as an increasing percentage of sales from 2024 to 2035. The Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation mandates ZEV adoption for fleets with over 50 trucks, certain private companies, and public agencies. The Clean Miles Standard (CMS) requires ridehailing providers with over 5 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per year to reach zero emissions from passenger miles and 90 percent EV-powered VMT by 2030. The Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) uses a market-based mechanism to cap the carbon intensity of transportation fuels. At the federal level, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 provides incentives for EV procurement and infrastructure. Additionally, proposed EPA regulations aim to reduce emissions for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles, with light-duty targets projecting an average of 82 grams/mile of CO2 by model year 2032.

• The Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulation aims to lower emissions by increasing EV sales through the Zero-Emission Vehicle and Low-Emission Vehicle programs. Compliance is required for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that sell more than 4,500 light- and medium-duty vehicles annually, though small-volume OEMs selling fewer than 4,500 such vehicles in California are exempt until 2035.
• The Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule mandates that OEMs of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sell zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) or near-zero-emissions vehicles (NZEVs) as a growing percentage of annual sales between 2024 and 2035. This is managed via a cap-and-trade system where manufacturers can generate or trade compliance credits. OEMs selling more than 500 vehicles per year must report annual sales, while those selling 500 or fewer heavy-duty trucks are exempt from selling ZEVs or NZEVs.
• The Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation requires the adoption of ZEVs—including battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and long-range plug-in electric hybrids—for specific fleet types. This includes public fleets, drayage truck fleets at California ports or intermodal rail yards, and private companies with more than $50 million in annual revenue or fleets exceeding 50 trucks.
• The Clean Miles Standard (CMS) targets ridehailing and autonomous vehicle providers with more than 5 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per year. The regulation stipulates that by 2030, 90 percent of all VMT must be powered by EVs and emissions from passenger miles traveled must be 0.
• Proposed EPA regulations for light- and medium-duty vehicles aim for a 51 percent reduction in projected fleet average greenhouse gas emissions for light-duty vehicles (to 82 grams/mile of CO2) and a 44 percent reduction for medium-duty vehicles (to 275 grams/mile of CO2) by model year 2032, compared to model year 2026 standards.

APA

RMI (2023). Electric Vehicle Regulations and Laws: A Primer for Decision Makers. https://rmi.org/resources/electric-vehicle-regulations-and-laws-a-primer-for-decision-makers/

Chicago

RMI. Electric Vehicle Regulations and Laws: A Primer for Decision Makers. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/electric-vehicle-regulations-and-laws-a-primer-for-decision-makers/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Electric Vehicle Regulations and Laws: A Primer for Decision Makers |date=24 July 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/electric-vehicle-regulations-and-laws-a-primer-for-decision-makers/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023electric, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Electric Vehicle Regulations and Laws: A Primer for Decision Makers}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/electric-vehicle-regulations-and-laws-a-primer-for-decision-makers/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }