From Heartland Daily News
By Mandy Gunasekara
Biden administration release New emission control standards for vehicles. Touted as the “most ambitious climate regulations” ever, they have caught the headlines, but technical realities and high costs have led both rules to go straight. into a brick wall.
The light category includes cars, vans and vans, and require 67% of all new car sales will be electric by 2032. Heavy duty includes 18-wheelers, buses and other work-related vehicles and require half of new buses and a quarter of new truck sales will be electric by 2032. For comparison, last year, electric vehicle sales make 5.8% increase in sales of new passenger cars and less than 2% for heavy trucks. These proposed standards are not ambitious but represent a new level of regulatory madness.
The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires EPA regulators to set vehicle regulations to reduce pollutants from light vehicles that have negative public health and environmental impacts. When setting these standards, administrators must consider the feasibility of new technologies as well as cost. The Biden team made a lot of promises when they committed to “data-driven” goal setting. But it’s hard to know any serious expert will support the view that, in less than five years, when auto companies start designing 2032 models, they can develop enough electric vehicles. .
Despite numerous federally funded incentives, electric vehicle adoption rates remain low for a variety of reasons. Even with great advances in electric vehicle technology, recharging the battery still takes hours, while refilling the gas tank takes just a few minutes. Coupled with a limited network of charging stations, electric vehicles continue to be a hard sell. Even the majority of EV owners today still rely on gas-powered vehicles—78% own a second gasoline-powered car to supplement their transportation needs.
Future demand is also absent. A new poll by AP-NORC establish Only 19% of Americans are “very likely or extremely likely” to use electricity. Likewise, Gallup poured cold water on the statement of enthusiasm, suggest Americans are “slow to adopt electric cars”. More trouble for electric vehicle proponents: Even if this push is possible, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecast Only 9% of US vehicles will be electric by 2050.
The authorities show their deafness by touting expensive alternatives to reliable gas-powered cars. Many Americans are struggling to buy eggs and meat in an inflationary economy. It is very unlikely that middle- and low-income people are planning to buy a car with an average cost of $54,000. Availability of subsidies for taxpayers change that equation. By far, most EV drivers have come from households earning at least $150,000 a year or more. In states like Mississippi, where the median income is around $50,000, electric vehicles come at a premium, and regulations like the one Biden proposes will only drive those costs up.
One of the leading automobile manufacturers in the country call this proposal is “aggressive” and “unprecedented” even for them—showing that the administration is going too far and too fast. Their claims need to be scrutinized as the industry has invested billions of dollars to expand vehicle electrification. Although the industry has adopted the conversion narrative, it is really concerned with the rush of times and unrealistic expectations in the current proposal.
Despite serious technical hurdles and overwhelming consumer preference for gas-powered vehicles, Team Biden appears to have completed the carrot-and-stick approach. legislation to force its future of fully electric vehicle use on Americans. The courts can once again be the saving grace.
Critics have the opportunity to present legal arguments against the EPA. The biggest legit elephant in the room is West Virginia sues EPA decided to invoke the “big questions” doctrine. In particular, the Supreme Court clarified that agencies must point to be “approved by Congress” if they take actions of “great economic or political significance.” In this case, one could argue that the EPA is incapable of restructuring the entire transportation industry in the same way that it is incapable of redesigning the entire energy market in the Western case. Virginia.
The current rules, as suggested, have many technical and legal loopholes. They can also undermine environmental progress because Americans will inevitably decide to drive older cars longer rather than accumulate debt to buy a new, less reliable car. As a result, the accessibility of new technologies and related benefits such as reduced pollution and safer roads will not materialize.
Mandy Gunasekara is director of the Center for Energy and Conservation of the Independent Women’s Forum and previously served as Chief of Staff at the US EPA. Follow her on Twitter at @MississippiMG
Originally published by RealClearEnergy. Republished with permission.
To read more about the new emissions standards, click This.
To read more about Biden’s EV push, click This.
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