On June 6, a coalition of automakers delivered a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump calling for the federal government to find a “midway between” a federal proposal for emissions standards and the standards put forth by the Zero-Emission Vehicle Alliance (ZEV Alliance), led by the state of California. The ZEV Alliance comprises 14 bodies, including several U.S. states, as well as British Columbia, Germany, The Netherlands, Quebec, Norway and the United Kingdom. As their long-term objective, the ZEV Alliance aims to have zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) make up 100% of the passenger vehicle sales in their jurisdictions by 2050. The letter was signed by the largest automakers in the world, including General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and more than a dozen other car companies.

“What works best for consumers, communities, and the millions of U.S. employees that work in the auto industry is one national standard that is practical, achievable, and consistent across the 50 states,” the letter from the automakers states. “In addition, our customers expect continuous improvements in safety, efficiency, and capability. For these reasons, we support a unified standard that both achieves year-over-year improvements in fuel economy and facilitates the adoption of vehicles with alternative powertrains.”