The measures would require nothing short of a revolution in the car industry: electric vehicles currently account for just 5.8 percent of new cars sold in the country. If the regulations are enacted as proposed, they would put the U.S. economy, the world’s largest, on track to slash its emissions at the pace scientists say is required to avert the most devastating impacts of climate change.

The regulations will surely face legal challenges from those who see them as government overreach. Some automakers fear that the administration’s push for electric vehicles could result in job losses and lower profits. Nearly all major car companies have already spent billions switching to electric, but the new rules would require them to shift their production processes in ways that would essentially spell the end of new gas vehicles.

In related news, China is leading the race for the next big battery innovation: replacing lithium with sodium, a far cheaper and more abundant material.