General Motors sees the writing on the wall, the combustion engine will eventually be phased out and electric cars will take over. However, the current government administration in the US doesn't seem sold on the idea of electric cars and hybrids after rolling back the EPA fuel economy targets. The EPA is now in a fight with California over emissions and fuel economy standards, but California just gained a very powerful ally in the fight for more efficient vehicles.

GM released a statement proposing that the US adopt a national standard to promote zero-emission vehicles. The company will file comments on the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule for Model Years 2021-2026 Passenger Cars and Light Truck. In the comments, GM proposed a National Zero Emissions Vehicle (NZEV) program that would place seven million long-range EVs on the roads by 2030.

Under the proposal, automakers would need to have 7% of their models be zero-emissions vehicles, increasing by 2% each year until it reaches 15% by 2025. The figure would then have to jump to 25% by 2030. By adopting this system, the US would cut out 375 million tons of CO2 emissions from 2021 to 2030.

California already has a zero-emissions mandate, which is why so many automakers sell electric models exclusively in California. GM says introducing a national program would speed up the development of electric cars by removing the uncertainty that surrounds them. Developing an electric car for a single state is very expensive, which is why many of these vehicles are expensive and have a lackluster range. If the US has any intention of speeding up the adoption of electric cars, GM's proposal should be strongly considered.