The nation’s slow transition to electric vehicles got a boost Wednesday when the Biden administration announced it had finalized the strongest-ever pollution standards for cars and light trucks for model years 2027 through 2032.
The Environmental Protection Agency rule would require car manufacturers to increase sales of electric vehicles while cutting carbon emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles. California took it a step further in 2022 when regulators announced they would halt the sale of new gas cars in the state by 2035.
The new EPA standards would represent a nearly 50% reduction in projected fleet average 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 health-harming fine particulate matter from gas cars by more than 95%, a move that could improve air quality in cities like Los Angeles where homes are built near freeways.
The EPA rule does not ban internal combustion engine vehicles.
“With transportation as the largest source of U.S. climate emissions, these strongest-ever pollution standards for cars solidify America’s leadership in building a clean transportation future and creating good-paying American jobs, all while advancing President Biden’s historic climate agenda,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a prepared statement.
“The standards will slash over 7 billion tons of climate pollution, improve air quality in overburdened communities, and give drivers more clean vehicle choices while saving them money.”
