Polling Shows Decisive Opposition to California’s EV Mandate

Tesla, Musk Also Viewed Unfavorably By California Voters

SACRAMENTO—A strong majority of California voters oppose California’s mandate to phase out the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, according to new polling by Tulchin Research. The poll found that opposition to the state’s zero-emission car mandate grew stronger after voters learned details of the policy. The findings reveal widespread voter apprehension about the practicality of the state enforcing a rapid transition to zero-emission vehicles when the market is not ready and charging infrastructure is nowhere near sufficient. 

The survey also revealed growing skepticism around Tesla, California’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer and a key beneficiary of the state's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) policy.

According to the statewide survey conducted by Tulchin Research:

• 64% of voters opposed California’s EV mandate once hearing all the details of the policy, compared to only 31% who supported it and 5% undecided.

• 48% of respondents said they strongly opposed the policy, highlighting the intensity of reluctance among the public. Just 13% said they strongly supported the policy.

  
  

The opposition spanned demographic and geographic lines:

• 66% of Latino voters, 58% of white voters, 54% of Black voters, and 52% of Asian American voters opposed the mandate.

• Regionally, 68% of voters in the Central Valley and 56% in the Bay Area opposed the plan.

  
  

Under California’s current Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC 2) mandate, automakers must ensure 35% of all new car sales are zero-emission starting this year, ramping up annually until 2035, when new gas-powered car sales will be fully banned. But the latest data shows demand for zero-emission vehicles has stalled—sales grew just 0.3% in 2024, a sharp decline from significant annual growth seen over previous years.  

California now has 178,500 public and private EV charging ports statewide, according to the California Energy Commission. This represents progress for an EV transition but remains far short of the state's goals. California would need to increase the current pace of about 38,000 charger installations per year more than five-fold to meet the commission’s projected demand for 1 million chargers by 2030 and 2.1 million by 2035 under its zero-emission vehicle mandate.

• Nearly 30% of poll respondents said the lack of available infrastructure gave them the most serious doubts about the EV mandate. 

• 20% cited affordability as their biggest concern; 18% pointed to technological limitations; 15% said enforcement or lack of choice; 12% said environmental and energy source concerns, and 10% said social and equity issues. 

  
  

The CALIBRATE coalition is a growing alliance of business and consumer advocates supporting a more realistic path to California’s ZEV transition. 

“Our coalition is calling for a balanced, pragmatic transition to clean transportation. This poll shows that voters recognize California’s zero-emission mandate policy is simply not aligned with reality and overwhelmingly oppose it across every region and demographic,” said Brian Maas, president of the California New Car Dealers Association. “Voters understand that without a sufficient number of working chargers and adequate market demand, meeting this year’s sales mandates is impossible—never mind the goal of fully banning new gas-powered vehicles in the next decade. California needs to pause enforcement of the ZEV mandate and recalibrate its approach to support a sustainable, achievable transition for consumers, businesses, and the state’s economy.”

As the state pushes ahead with its unpopular mandate, the new Tulchin poll also found substantial unfavorable views of Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, among California voters. 

• 61% of California voters viewed Tesla unfavorably, compared to just 32% with a favorable opinion.

• Tesla was remarkably unpopular among Democrats, with only 11% viewing the company favorably and a whopping 84% reporting unfavorable feelings toward the EV market leader —despite Democrats being more likely to say they would consider buying an EV.

• As the leading electric vehicle manufacturer, Tesla stands to benefit from California’s ban on the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by selling regulatory credits to automakers that fail to meet the state’s EV sales targets. Under the state’s EV mandate, companies that fall short of sales quotas for ZEVs must buy credits from companies that exceed the targets, with Tesla being the largest recipient. When voters were asked about this aspect of the policy, nearly two-thirds (65%) opposed it.

  
  

To speak to a polling expert involved in the survey or to a representative from the CALIBRATE coalition, contact press@calibrateca.org.

More information, including an explainer video, can be found at CalibrateCA.org.