The government of US President Joe Biden has expedited the phaseout of internal combustion engine automobiles, as promised. New pollution regulations may compel the country's auto sector to transition to electric vehicles (EVs) as the primary vehicle type in less than ten years.
On Wednesday, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled its new emissions regulations for passenger cars, setting out upper and lower bounds that will begin to increase in 2027 and decrease much more by 2032. The government said that if 56% of newly sold cars and trucks are electric vehicles and 13% are plug-in hybrids, it may meet its 2032 target.
Since EVs only made up 7.6% of new car sales in the US last year, the new regulations may need a nine-fold rise in the market share of this sector. According to EPA administrator Michael Regan, the rules are designed to provide manufacturers the freedom to choose the emissions-control technology they want to utilize in order to comply. EVs, however, seem to be the main option since the industry has already virtually given up on using hydrogen fuel cells to power its cars.
"These strongest-ever pollution standards for cars solidify America's leadership in building a clean transportation future and creating well-paying American jobs – all while advancing President Biden's historic climate agenda,” Regan stated, noting that transportation is the largest source of climate emissions in the US. Over the next three decades, he said, the new regulations would cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 7 billion tons.
It is unclear whether the emissions from the extra energy production needed to charge millions of new EVs are included in the EPA's estimations. The US Energy Information Administration estimates that over 60% of the country's power production occurred last year from fossil fuels including coal, natural gas, and other fuels. Furthermore, research has shown that producing EVs and their batteries results in greater emissions than producing traditional automobiles, which the EPA has recognized.
Biden is basically pressuring US customers to purchase automobiles that many do not want or can not afford, according to critics of the new rules. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia, said that the Biden administration was selecting what sort of automobiles Americans may purchase, rent, or drive. The EPA-mandated shutdowns of fossil fuel plants are already weakening the electrical infrastructure, she said, and the new regulations require a "unrealistic transition" to EVs.
On Wednesday, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled its new emissions regulations for passenger cars, setting out upper and lower bounds that will begin to increase in 2027 and decrease much more by 2032. The government said that if 56% of newly sold cars and trucks are electric vehicles and 13% are plug-in hybrids, it may meet its 2032 target.
Since EVs only made up 7.6% of new car sales in the US last year, the new regulations may need a nine-fold rise in the market share of this sector. According to EPA administrator Michael Regan, the rules are designed to provide manufacturers the freedom to choose the emissions-control technology they want to utilize in order to comply. EVs, however, seem to be the main option since the industry has already virtually given up on using hydrogen fuel cells to power its cars.
"These strongest-ever pollution standards for cars solidify America's leadership in building a clean transportation future and creating well-paying American jobs – all while advancing President Biden's historic climate agenda,” Regan stated, noting that transportation is the largest source of climate emissions in the US. Over the next three decades, he said, the new regulations would cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 7 billion tons.
It is unclear whether the emissions from the extra energy production needed to charge millions of new EVs are included in the EPA's estimations. The US Energy Information Administration estimates that over 60% of the country's power production occurred last year from fossil fuels including coal, natural gas, and other fuels. Furthermore, research has shown that producing EVs and their batteries results in greater emissions than producing traditional automobiles, which the EPA has recognized.
Biden is basically pressuring US customers to purchase automobiles that many do not want or can not afford, according to critics of the new rules. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia, said that the Biden administration was selecting what sort of automobiles Americans may purchase, rent, or drive. The EPA-mandated shutdowns of fossil fuel plants are already weakening the electrical infrastructure, she said, and the new regulations require a "unrealistic transition" to EVs.
