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The Environmental Protection Agency said it is initiating efforts to reverse the Biden administration’s emission laws that would push automakers to manufacture an increasing number of electric vehicles, Automotive News said.
The March 12 decision is the latest in the Trump administration’s broad efforts to reverse the previous administration’s push for electric vehicle adoption, including the rollback of a goal requiring EVs to make up at least 50% of new car sales by 2030.
“The EPA said it would reconsider the agency’s 2024 rules that would cut passenger vehicle fleetwide tailpipe emissions nearly 50 percent by 2032 compared with 2027 projected levels,” according to Automotive News.
The EPA projects that between 35 percent and 56 percent of new vehicles sold from 2030 to 2032 will need to be electric to meet compliance standards, a target backed by Ford Motor.
Additionally, they are taking into consideration a 2022 regulation that aims to cut smog- and soot-forming emissions from heavy trucks due to the fact that the rule is making them more expensive, Automotive News said.
In February, the EPA submitted the Biden administration’s compliance of California’s landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by the year 2035 to Congress for a possible repeal.
However, last week a government agency said that the decision is not reviewable, according to Automotive News.
“Congress separately is considering efforts to repeal EV tax credits,” Automotive News said.
Read: Ford Estimates Billions in Losses on Electric Cars by 2025.
In January, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took steps to revoke fuel economy standards set under Biden, which aimed to significantly cut fuel consumption for cars and trucks. He also halted funding to states for EV charging infrastructure, AP News said.
In June, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced plans to increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for light-duty vehicles, raising the requirement from the current 39.1 miles per gallon (mpg) to approximately 50.4 mpg (4.67 liters per 100 km) by 2031, Automotive News said.
Additionally, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy instructed NHTSA to revisit fuel efficiency regulations for heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, extending the review through 2035.
NHTSA projected that the updated fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles and trucks would lead to a reduction of 64 billion gallons of gasoline consumption by 2050, cutting emissions by 659 million metric tons, according to Reuters.
While the regulations could increase vehicle purchase prices, the agency estimated that consumers would offset costs through fuel savings, with overall net benefits totaling $35.2 billion, Automotive News said.
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