WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is proposing strict new automobile pollution limits that would require as many as two-thirds of new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2032, a nearly tenfold increase over current electric vehicle sales.
The proposed regulation, announced Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency, would set tailpipe emissions limits for the 2027 through 2032 model years that are the strictest ever imposed — and call for far more new EV sales than the auto industry agreed to less than two years ago.
If finalized next year as expected, the plan would represent the strongest push yet toward a once almost unthinkable shift from gasoline-powered cars and trucks to battery-powered vehicles.
A look at what the EPA is proposing, how the plan serves President Joe Biden’s ambitious goal to cut America’s planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, and whether the auto industry can meet the new EV targets:
Q. What is the EPA proposing?
A, The proposed tailpipe pollution limits don’t require a specific number of electric vehicles to be sold every year, but instead they mandate limits on greenhouse gas emissions. Depending on how automakers comply, the EPA projects that at least 60% of new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. would be electric by 2030 and up to 67% by 2032.
For slightly larger, medium-duty trucks, the EPA projects 46% of new vehicle sales will be EVs in 2032.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan called the proposal “the most ambitious pollution standards ever for cars and trucks,” and he said it would reduce dangerous air and climate pollution and lower fuel and maintenance costs for families.
The agency will select from a range of options after a public comment period, Regan said. The rule is expected to become final next year.
Q. What is the auto industry saying about the proposed rules?
A. John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing most automakers, called the EPA proposal “aggressive by any measure” and wrote in a statement that it exceeds the Biden administration’s 50% electric vehicle sales target for 2030 announced less than two years ago.
Reaching half was always a “stretch goal,” contingent on manufacturing incentives and tax credits to make EVs more affordable, he wrote. It remains to be seen whether those provisions are enough to support electric vehicle sales at the level the EPA has proposed, he wrote.
“The question isn’t can this be done, it’s how fast can it be done,” Bozzella wrote. “How fast will depend almost exclusively on having the right policies and market conditions in place.”
Q. How will the proposal benefit the environment?
A. The proposed standards for light-duty cars and trucks are projected to result in a 56% reduction in projected greenhouse gas emissions compared with existing standards for model year 2026, the EPA said. The proposals would improve air quality for communities across the nation, avoiding nearly 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions, more than twice the total U.S. CO2 emissions last year, the EPA said.
The plan also would save thousands of dollars over the lives of the vehicles sold and reduce U.S. reliance on approximately 20 billion barrels of oil imports, the agency said.
Q. Is the EPA proposal realistic?
A. With electric vehicles accounting for just 7.2% of U.S. vehicle sales in the first quarter of this year, the industry has a long way to go to even approach the Biden administration’s targets. However, the percentage of EV sales is growing. Last year it was 5.8% of new vehicles sales.
Many auto industry analysts say it will be difficult for automakers to meet the projected sales percentage. The consulting firm LMC Automotive, for instance, said new EV sales could reach 49% in 2032 but are unlikely to go above that, citing high prices for EVs compared with gas-powered cars.
A new poll released Tuesday shows that many Americans aren’t yet sold on going electric for their next cars, with high prices and too few charging stations the main deterrents. Only 19% of U.S. adults say it’s “very” or “extremely” likely they will purchase an EV the next time they buy a car, while 22% say it’s somewhat likely. About half, 47%, say they are unlikely to go electric, according to the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.
White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi said EV sales have tripled since Biden took office and the number of available EV models has doubled. Analysts have repeatedly revised their forecasts upward since Biden, a Democrat, took office, and the industry announced over $100 billion in EV investments, Zaidi told reporters Tuesday.
“The automakers have … technology and the infrastructure and supply chain to be able to achieve this with the lead time they’ve got,” Zaidi said.
Q. Why is the tailpipe rule so important?
A. Transportation is the largest source of carbon emissions in the U.S., accounting for about 27% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. in 2020, according to the EPA. Electric power generates the second largest share of greenhouse gas emissions at 25%.
Environmental groups say stricter tailpipe pollution standards are needed to clean the air we breathe and slow the impacts of severe weather events such as hurricanes, tornados and wildfires.
“Done right, these (new rules) will put the U.S. on the path to end pollution from vehicle tailpipes — while also slashing our dependence on oil, creating good domestic jobs and saving consumers money on fuel,” said Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Q. What else is the Biden administration doing to promote EVs?
A. Besides stricter pollution rules, tax credits for EV manufacturing and purchases included in the sweeping Inflation Reduction Act passed last year will help reach the tougher requirements, the White House and its allies said.
At present, many new EVs manufactured in North America are eligible for a $7,500 tax credit, while used EVs can get up to $4,000. However, there are price and purchaser income limits that make some vehicles ineligible. And starting April 18, new requirements by the Treasury Department will result in fewer new electric vehicles qualifying for a full $7,500 federal tax credit.
A smaller credit may not be enough to attract new buyers for EVs that now cost an average of $58,600 according to Kelley Blue Book.
___
Krisher reported from Detroit.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
—-
This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology.
we are no longer a free nation because joe biden has proclaimed him self GOD!
climate epa nazis will arrest you for modifications you make on your personal vehicle while the left wing socialist
run wild in the streets stealing raping and murdering people of all color and faiths.
but climate change is the lefts heaven.
In a capitalist society the people chose to have free choice.
In a socialist society the government chooses for the people.
Capitalism affords economic freedom, consumer choice, and economic growth.
Socialism, which is an economy controlled by the state and planned by a central planning authority.
If WE the PEOPLE do not destroy this traitorous, socialist Democrat Party,
then WE the PEOPLE will be controlled by the socialist Democrat Party.
Unless you Want to be a servant to this traitorous, socialist Democrat Party dictatorship.
STOP VOTING FOR ANY DEMOCRAT, from the president to the school board!!!
“Are you going to believe the corrupt, dishonest, immoral, incompetent, woke, socialist Democrat Party and their lying corrupt, puppet Joe Biden
or your lying eyes?”
“America got rich by replacing windmills with coal plants, and now, 150 years later, Biden wants to replace coal with windmills.”
‘ YOU WILL OBEY, COMRADE.!
Biden’s EPA set to force electric vehicles on consumers
Welcome to the United Banana Republic of America
It is interesting to note that 30.7%, of U.S. imported refined lithium comes from China, one of puppet Bidens masters.
Say your ten hail bidens.. AND GET BACK to work.. SERF! 🙂
So we’re going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the number of EV’s, which will increase the electric power we generate to recharge them. Vehicle emissions go down, while greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the generation of electric power goes up! The only way to avoid this is to build a lot more nuclear power plants. I seriously doubt the administration has even thought of this or, if they have, are unwilling to raise the issue.
Exactly!! You beat me to it.
Nuclear was mentioned by the Biden administration but that takes many years and it would take an immense amount of propaganda to convince your typical leftist to go nuclear.
That’s assuming any amount of facts we SHOW THEM ON nuclear power, CAN GET THROUGh their braindead skulls.
The largest EV company in the world is Tesla. Unfortunately their initial quality is very poor. Every year J.D. Power publishes a study on car company initial quality and an every year Tesla is ranked at or near the bottom. That’s not the kind of vehicle I want. And another item. Does not the EPA know that 80% of the electricity in the US is generated from fossil fuels. What a bunch of fools. This climate change is getting way out of hand. And draconian.
I really wish someone would compare the use of all the Renewable BS emissions and plastics and rape of the land for minerals etc. vs the actual fossil fuel usage. I know most of the energy to charge their cars come from coal. I know that the batteries etc. come form stripping the land, etc. The batteries cost as much as the car! and like Al Gore’s light bulbs are not recycle friendly and literally lie in wait forever in landfills, etc., same for Windmill’s non recyclable plastic!! That we pay or allow China to pollute so we can say look at us, we are green. I think we breath the same air, but that’s just my thoughts. And we pay them for our own demise. So many things and routes we could go using all energy sources and we can do it better, cleaner. We used to be a go-getting bunch, inventive.
So we decrease tailpipe emissions and increase electric emissions when we charge our new vehicle. Really smart. Think about what they don’t tell you about these new cars. How often do you need to buy new tires since these wonderful vehicles weigh so much more. How quickly will the batteries in your new car become obsolete? If there is no replacement you have to buy a new car again. They haven’t done near enough to deal with the charging station problem. They haven’t told you a different outlet in your house will charge better than anything you have now. If you haul something heavy in your truck the charge on your battery goes down faster, it they don’t know how much so you run out of a charge while you’re driving, then what? Those incentives to buy get cancelled out by the increased price. It’s never ending.
AND what the hell happens to ALL OF THOSE disused batteries? Where do they get ‘recycled’?
Does anyone not remember the black outs last summer ?? How can you recharge your car with no electricity ??? The Electric grid can’t handle the demand now .
Those are facts, the left CARES NOT ABOUT FACTS.
In Nazi Germany workers had mandatory payroll deductions so that all workers would own the ‘People’s Car’. The workers never saw their car. World War II intervened and their payroll deductions disappeared into the war effort.
At this point, and for the foreseeable future, EVs are actually coal fired cars. Every time you move from one fuel or form of power to another you lose some efficiency and power. It a law of physics.
EVs might be great (might is the key word) in large cities where there is frequent opportunity to recharge. In rural settings and places where there are long distances to drive they are a nightmare. In places like the Great Plains where the distances are large and the winters are bitter they will essentially not work.
I’ve seen calls for electric powered combines and tractors. That isn’t going to go well. No one will have the time to ‘refuel’ for hours. Farmers in my rural area are in the field from dawn to past dusk with 15-18 hour days the norm at harvest. There will be crops rotting in the field if they must use electric powered tractors and combines.
We are being set up for failure. The question is why and by whom?
THE globalists, wanting to RUIN THIS NATION utterly.. That’s who.