After years of opposing strict emissions rules proposed in California, Stellantis just agreed to them. The deal represents a far-reaching impact both for the state and for the automaker. It also appears as though it’ll remain in place no matter what happens concerning the presidential election later this year.
The general agreement will see Stellantis avoid up to 12 million additional metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions through the 2026 model year. California says that’s equivalent to taking 2.3 million cars off of the road for an entire year. On top of that, Stellantis agrees to abide by the state’s zero-emission sales requirements through 2030.
There’s even a provision that requires it to do so if the California Air Resources Board (CARB) isn’t able to enforce those standards due to judicial or federal action. That’s a big shift from the automaker’s previous stance where it stood shoulder to shoulder with GM and Ford in opposing these regulations during the Trump administration.
Read: California Will Require All EVs To Have Standardized Diagnostics System In 2026
In addition to these notable commitments, Stellantis pledged $10 million in funding toward public charging efforts. $4 million of that will go to California’s EV infrastructure in federal, state, and county parks as well as to rural areas. The remaining $6 million goes to other states that have chosen to adopt the same greenhouse gas standards as California.
For the state, it feels like a very clear win. “This partnership with Stellantis will help California achieve our ambitious goals to drastically cut pollution and get more clean cars on the roads,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“The biggest and most influential companies in the world understand that this is how we can fight climate change together, and it’s another example of the private sector joining California to help millions of people get into clean vehicles.”
For Stellantis, this agreement plays well into its current strategy of cutting carbon credits out of its diet and aiming for more sustainability in the near future. “Together, we have found a win-win solution that is good for the customer and good for the planet,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares.
“This agreement will avoid 10 to 12 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the lifetime of the agreement and will also allow our U.S. customers to fully benefit from our advanced technologies, including five plug-in hybrids and two pure electric vehicles. We remain as determined as ever to offer sustainable options across our brand portfolio and being a leader in the global decarbonization efforts.”
The automaker remains committed to its Dare Forward 2030 plan that will see it sell nothing but EVs by 2030 in Europe. That same year it plans to represent half of its sales mix in the U.S. with EVs.