The Biden administration is reportedly set to propose the toughest-ever U.S. curbs on car pollution, reports unnamed sources speaking to Bloomberg.
These proposed standards, expected to be announced on Wednesday, are set to govern tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other pollution from vehicles manufactured for model years 2027 through 2032. The announcement will likely push the adoption of EVs higher.
Environmental advocates and EV manufacturers, such as Tesla, have been pushing for even stricter limits on car emissions, with advocates insisting that strong standards are necessary to accelerate EV emissions and secure necessary emission reductions later on.
However, automakers have been pushing for less strict standards, cautioning the White House that the trajectory for EVs and emission reductions depends on factors outside their control, such as charging infrastructure and critical mineral production.
This pivot will require a “massive, 100-year change to the US industrial base,” and rules should be “a clear-eyed assessment of market readiness,” the Alliance for Automotive Innovation said Thursday.
Despite the pushback, these standards will be a key factor in helping the U.S. meet its Paris Agreement commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.
Yesterday, Tesla dropped vehicle prices in the U.S. to spur even more demand. “So many well off critics don’t understand that demand at scale is limited by affordability. There is plenty of demand for our products, but if the price is more money than people have, that demand is irrelevant,” said Musk on Friday.
So many well off critics don’t understand that demand at scale is limited by affordability.
There is plenty of demand for our products, but if the price is more money than people have, that demand is irrelevant.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2023
