United States: President Joe Biden has declared the toughest rules on vehicle exhaust emissions ever introduced in the United States to accelerate the auto industry’s evolution to electric cars.
The new regulations include a goal to make 56 percent of new vehicles sold in the US electric by 2032. If this is implemented, it will be huge growth over the current level. Car makers were given a reprieve and the target was softened from last year’s draft.
However, Biden’s administration still plans to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the latest laws will preclude 7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over the next 30 years.
The new criteria increasingly restrict year by year the quantity of pollution permitted from vehicle exhausts. Car manufacturers will face stiff penalties if they fail to meet the new standards. Companies can make gasoline-powered vehicles as long as they shrink a share of their total product line.
Compared to the European Union and the United Kingdom, the US takes a more moderate approach. According to reports, the EU and the UK will ban all sales of petrol-powered cars from 2035. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared last year that Britain was slowing down the ban by five years from the 2030 deadline.
Earlier last year, the American auto industry objected to a draft of new rules requiring EVs to make up 67 percent of new automobile sales by 2032 because EV sales were slower than expected.
The new standards were warmly welcomed by environmental groups, though some activists expressed disappointment. However, the oil industry and Republican-led states are expected to challenge the rules in court. It may ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.
As Biden runs for re-election against former President Donald Trump, he is trying to win over auto industry people in the main state of Michigan. Trump vowed to roll back the Biden administration’s environmental ordinances if he wins the election.
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