US proposes 56% cut in vehicle emissions by 2032 – 04/12/2023 – Environment

The Environmental Protection Agency of the United States (EPA, its acronym in English) on Wednesday proposed radical cuts in pollutant emissions for new cars and trucks by 2032. According to the agency, the measure could mean that two out of three new vehicles sold in the country will be electric within a decade.

The proposal, if taken forward, represents the most aggressive vehicle emissions reduction plan to date in the US, calling for a 13% average annual reduction in pollution. The EPA is also recommending new, stricter emissions standards for medium and heavy-duty trucks by 2032.

EPA projects the rules will cut more than 9 billion tons of CO emissions_{twoby 2055 – equivalent to more than double the country’s total gas emissions last year.}

The agency estimates that the proposal’s 2055 net benefits range from $850 billion to $1.6 trillion. In 2032, the measure would cost about $1,200 per vehicle per manufacturer, but would save the average vehicle owner more than $9,000 in fuel, maintenance and repair costs over an eight-year period.

“A lot has to go right for this massive — and unprecedented — shift in our automotive market and industrial base to succeed,” said John Bozzella, chief executive of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents automakers including General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota.

“Factors beyond the vehicle such as charging infrastructure, supply chains, power grid resilience, availability of low-carbon fuels and critical minerals will determine whether EPA standards at these levels are achievable.”

The proposal is more ambitious than US President Joe Biden’s 2021 goal, which was supported by automakers. Biden’s proposal seeks that 50% of new vehicles by 2030 be electric or plug-in hybrids. Automotive company Stellantis said it was “surprised that none of the alternatives are in line with the president’s previously announced target of 50% electric vehicles by 2030”.

The Biden administration is not proposing a ban on gasoline-powered vehicles, but it does want comment on whether to extend emissions rules to 2035 and other alternatives. Some environmental groups want the agency to set stricter rules, especially for heavy trucks.

“These standards are very ambitious and go with the sense of urgency that the President and this administration have in addressing the climate crisis,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan told Reuters in an interview. He declined to comment on the eventual establishment of a date to end the sale of new gasoline vehicles and emphasized that the proposal is a “performance-based standard”.

Under the EPA proposal, automakers must produce 60% electric vehicles by 2030 and 67% by 2032 to meet the requirements. In 2022, only 5.8% of vehicles sold in the US were fully electric.

The EPA estimates that 50% of new vocational vehicles, such as buses and garbage trucks, could be electric by 2032, along with 35% of new short-haul trucks and 25% of new long-haul trucks. The rules for midsize vehicles are projected to reduce emissions by 44% compared to 2026.