Sen Cotton unveils bill to stop car rental companies from forcing EVs on customers

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., plans to introduce a bill on Tuesday aimed at barring car rental companies from forcing customers to rent electric vehicles without them explicitly requesting one. 

The Requiring EV Notification and Transparency Act of 2024 or RENT Act, would require rental companies to only provide customers with electric vehicles if they request them. It would further dictate that customers have the right to terminate their contract with the companies if they are given an electric vehicle without opting in. Companies would additionally be barred from charging customers fees for terminating the contract for such reasons. 

"Rental car companies should not advance Democrats’ radical climate agenda and make customers rent EVs if they don’t want to. Policies that force EVs on Americans who either don’t want or can’t afford them are unfair, and our legislation will prevent these companies from taking advantage of consumers," Cotton told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

The bill is cosponsored by Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who said in a statement, "Consumers who book a standard gas-powered car should not be forced to rent electric vehicles they don’t want simply because the rental company says so."

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"Ignoring the preferences of consumers to further a climate crusade is wrong and must be stopped," he added.

Cotton's new measure comes as President Biden's administration has made its climate agenda a prominent piece of its legacy. Last year, the president announced a goal to make 50% of new vehicles sold in the U.S. electric by 2030. Biden's White House has also taken steps toward creating a national network of electric vehicle charging stations to help make electric vehicle ownership more practical for Americans.

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Electric vehicles and Biden's implementation have faced criticism, particularly from his conservative counterparts. The limitations of electric vehicles when it comes to weather and distance have been scrutinized, as has the mining associated with creating so many batteries and electric vehicles at once.

"The last thing Americans want from a rental car company when traveling is an electric vehicle, especially when visiting an unfamiliar area," said Jason Isaac, the CEO and founder of the American Energy Institute. "Electric vehicles continue to fail, and car manufacturers cannot get them sold off their lots."

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"Reliability is key and electric vehicles are not up to standard," he added.

Under Cotton's proposed bill, company noncompliance would be considered an "unfair or deceptive act or practice" and thus in violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act and subject to penalties.

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The White House did not respond to Cotton's bill when reached by Fox News Digital for comment on Monday.