The country's slow transition to electric vehicles got a boost Wednesday when the Biden administration announced it had finalized the toughest pollution standards yet for cars and light trucks for model years 2027 through 2032.
The Environmental Protection Agency rule would require automakers to increase sales of electric vehicles while reducing carbon emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles. California took another step in 2022 when regulators announced they would stop the sale of new gasoline cars in the state by 2035.
The new EPA standards would represent a nearly 50% reduction in projected average fleet greenhouse gas emissions levels for light-duty vehicles and a 44% reduction for medium-duty vehicles, the agency said in a statement. The rules are also expected to reduce emissions of unhealthy fine particles from gasoline-powered cars by more than 95%, a move that could improve air quality in cities like Los Angeles, where homes are being built near the highways.
The EPA rule does not prohibit internal combustion engine vehicles.
“With transportation being the largest source of U.S. climate emissions, these auto pollution standards, the most stringent yet, solidify America's leadership in building a clean transportation future and creating of good-paying American jobs, while advancing President Biden's historic climate agenda,” said EPA Administrator Michael. S. Regan said in a prepared statement.
“The standards will reduce more than 7 billion tons of climate pollution, improve air quality in overburdened communities, and give drivers more clean vehicle options while saving them money.”
