President Biden has set a goal of ensuring 50% of car purchases are electric by 2030. (Getty Images)
The regulations were blasted by oil producers and petroleum refiners who argued they would "unequivocally eliminate most new gas cars" from the market in less than a decade.
"This regulation will make new gas-powered vehicles unavailable or prohibitively expensive for most Americans," said American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers President and CEO Chet Thompson and American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers in a joint statement. "For them, this wildly unpopular policy is going to feel and function like a ban."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In 2023, 9.5% of new, light-duty vehicle sales were EVs, up from 7% in 2022 and 4.3% in 2021, according to data from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group that represents major automakers. At the same time, EVs remain more expensive than traditional, gas-powered cars.
But Daniel Villaseñor, a spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, said "actions matter more than polls," noting the high number of zero-emissions car sales in California, where the state government has finalized an aggressive EV mandate.
"More zero-emission vehicles were sold in California last year than at any point in history, including in Q3 when sales hit their highest share ever," Villaseñor said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Sales soared by 46% year-over-year, continuing the upward trend led by our state every year. Consumer trends show California is going to achieve our world-leading goal of 100% [zero-emissions vehicle] sales by 2035."
The White House didn't respond to a request for comment for purposes of this story.
Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
Subscribed
You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fewer-americans-want-buy-ev-biden-admin-cracks-down-gas-cars