The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to release new vehicle emissions rules this week that will provide automakers with greater incentive to further increase electric vehicle sales.
Per a new report from Reuters, the forthcoming EPA vehicle emissions rules will cover the 2027 through 2032 model years, and is expected to result in at least half of new vehicle sales to be fully electric or plug-in hybrids by the 2030 calendar year. The push towards greater EV adoption is in line with a goal outlined previously by President Biden. Late in 2021, the EPA finalized new light-duty emissions requirements through the 2026 model year, reversing President Trump’s emissions rollback.
It’s unclear at this time of the EPA will follow California to phase out the sale of internal-combustion-powered vehicles by the 2035 calendar year. California has yet to file a formal request to the Biden administration to push ahead with its aggressive timeline. Nevertheless, according to California Air Resources Board (CARB) executive officer Stephen Cliff, California is urging the EPA to follow similar emissions rules as the Golden State, where 68 percent of new cars sold in 2030 are set to be zero-emission vehicles.
EV producer Tesla has also called for a mandate to end the sale of internal combustion vehicles by 2030. Meanwhile, GM has stated that it will seek to end the sale of internal combustion engine products within its light duty vehicle lineup by 2035.
In support of its EV ambitions, GM has earmarked a $35 billion investment into new electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle technology by the 2025 calendar year. What’s more, GM is boosting is EV production capacity to 1 million units in North America by the end of the 2025 calendar year.
Looking ahead, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will also propose new fuel economy standards in the next few weeks.
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