Home ›› 13 Apr 2023 ›› World Biz
President Joe Biden’s administration unveiled new proposed auto emissions rules Wednesday, aiming to accelerate the electric vehicle transition with a target of two-thirds of the new US car market by 2032.
The proposed rules set aggressively low standards for emissions of greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants, which is expected to lead to further manufacturing and marketing of EVs amid already considerable investments announced by US and foreign carmakers.
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Michael Regan, described the measure as the “strongest ever federal pollution standards for cars and trucks,” saying his department’s new policy would “accelerate the ongoing transition to a clean vehicles future.”
The proposal -- which will next be open to a public comment period -- is the latest in a series of steps under Biden, a Democrat, to help put EVs on track for mass adoption.
The rules do not explicitly mandate greater EV manufacturing, but the tough emissions targets are expected to hasten a transition as automakers turn to EVs as the only viable way to remain in compliance.
Past US tailpipe rules have led carmakers to employ lighter-weight materials, or greater use of aerodynamically efficient designs to save energy -- but have been the subject of heated political debate.
The EPA under Biden’s Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, moved to roll back auto emission regulations, resulting in several long lawsuits which created uncertainty for manufacturers.
Electric vehicles accounted for 5.8 per cent of the US market for new vehicles in 2022, up from 3.2 per cent in 2021, according to Cox Automotive.
However, efforts championed by Biden, including $7.5 billion to finance a national EV charging network and myriad tax incentive policies in his signature Inflation Reduction Act, have dovetailed with major EV investment announcements by General Motors, Ford and others.
Even so, targeting 67 per cent penetration in less than a decade might seem unrealistic.
But White House environmental advisor Ali Zaidi said expert forecasts have underestimated the progress towards EV investment since Biden took office in January 2021. He noted that GM has targeted 2035 to go all-electric.
“The automakers have strategies and now have the technologies and an infrastructure and a supply chain to achieve this,” Zaidi said at a briefing with journalists.
“If you look at the history that’s been written over the last two and a half years, that’s a really good predictor for the incredible foundation on which this draws and reinforces.”
