The EPA is expected to propose stricter emissions rules to ensure more than half of new cars and trucks sold in the US are electric. The New York Times report.
The proposal would not mandate a specific percentage of electric vehicle sales, but would set emissions limits so stringent that it would essentially force automakers to ensure that electric vehicles account for 67% of their sales by 2032, according to the report, citing two people familiar with the matter.
According to the report, EPA Administrator Michael Regan is expected to announce these stricter emissions limits on Wednesday. As the Times pointed out, such a policy would cause a major shift in the US new-car market, where electric vehicles make up only about 5.8% of sales nationwide. It would also strengthen the Biden administration’s efforts to reduce emissions.
2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV
President Biden issues executive order in 2021 calling for 50% of EV sales by 2030, but did not follow that with the support regulations. The recently published EPA rules do not correspond to an executive order, intended to only 8% of EV sales into the 2026 model year.
This new proposal will be part of the next round of emissions rules, which apply to model years from 2027 to 2032. That makes its implementation dependent on the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, as well as the actions of future governments. Even if Biden is re-elected, this period of emissions regulation will extend beyond the end of his second term, providing an opportunity for another administration to rescind or relax the rules. That was the case during the Trump administration—though it wasn’t until March 2020 that it was enacted.owed gas savings target come into effect in 2021.
The proposal would bring federal emissions targets in line with California’s stricter rules requiring zero-emission vehicle sales. Current California find a way to close the sale of most internal combustion vehicles by 2035, giving way to plug-in hybrids that meet certain emissions and electric range targets.
Hyundai Ioniq 6 2023
Recently seven automakers have support the rules of California—perhaps in part because it simply aligns more closely with regulations in Europe and elsewhere — while encouraging the EPA to adopt similar rules. Although the predecessors of General Motors, Toyota and Stellantis were Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Join the Trump Administration in opposition to California’s emissions regulator, which allows the state to set emissions standards that are more stringent than federal targets.
With that in mind, it remains to be seen how automakers will respond to the proposed EPA rules that essentially mandate high EV sales. Will they take the pragmatic approach of accepting rules that are better suited to other markets, or take the chance that another Republican administration will come to power and loosen the rules?
