The Biden administration is preparing to roll out the toughest-ever limits on pollution from the nation’s cars and light trucks after making changes likely to mollify some automakers.
Emissions limits set to be finalised by the Environmental Protection Agency within days would propel electric vehicle sales well beyond current levels. The EPA has projected that to meet proposed mandates, electric models would need to make up roughly two-thirds of car and light truck sales in 2032 – up from less than a tenth last year. The measure, which sets limits on smog-forming pollution, soot and carbon dioxide emissions, is seen as one of the most consequential climate regulations being imposed by President Joe Biden.
It’s also key to helping the US fulfill its Paris Agreement commitment to at least halve the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The transportation sector is the biggest source of planet-warming pollution in the US today.
“Cars and light trucks on their own are roughly 20% of the carbon footprint,” said Manish Bapna, head of the Natural Resources Defense Action Fund. Cutting that is “absolutely essential to real, concrete progress.”
Yet the regulation requires a delicate balancing act for Biden, who is courting voters in the swing state of Michigan, including autoworkers uneasy about a too-rapid transition to electric vehicles. US carmakers warned the initial proposal wasn’t achievable – with EV penetration dependent on the installation of charging stations and other factors beyond the industry’s control.
The next few years are “absolutely critical” for developing the necessary supply chain and charging infrastructure, said John Bozzella, head of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
