Sources revealed that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to propose new regulations as soon as next week to encourage drastic reductions in car emissions pollution, which will encourage automakers to significantly increase the sales of electric vehicles.
The proposed regulations are anticipated to apply to model years 2027 through 2032. In accordance with a goal President Joe Biden set out in 2021, environmental organizations and several automakers believe the proposal will lead to at least 50% of the U.S. car fleet being electric or plug-in hybrids by 2030.
The government has not supported initiatives by California and others to stop the sale of new light-duty vehicles that run only on gasoline by 2035.
California Air Resources Board Executive Officer Steven Cliff had earlier said in December last year that the federal government should “look at stringency that’s equivalent to our rules … We’re 68% zero emissions in 2030 so modelling that and looking at that as an option for 2030 is absolutely critical.”
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The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing nearly all automakers including Ford Motor, Volkswagen and Toyota Motor, said Thursday the industry backs the shift to EVs. “The question isn’t whether it can be done, it’s how fast can it be done.”
Automakers have raised concerns the administration will require them to spend significant sums to improve the efficiency of internal combustion vehicles that will be phased out in the next decade. “Every dollar invested in internal combustion technology is a dollar not spent on zero carbon technology,” The alliance said.
Because gas-powered vehicles will continue to be used on the road for many years, environmentalists urge the EPA to impose strict emission reduction requirements on them.
Additionally, new fuel efficiency rules are expected to be proposed in the upcoming weeks by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Story was adapted from Autoblog
