E.P.A. Is Said to Propose Rules Meant to Drive Up Electric Car Sales Tenfold

[Zorro]

In what would be the nation’s most ambitious climate regulation, the proposal is designed to ensure that electric cars make up the majority of new U.S. auto sales by 2032.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is planning some of the most stringent auto pollution limits in the world, designed to ensure that all-electric cars make up as much as 67 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in the country by 2032, according to two people familiar with the matter.

That would represent a quantum leap for the United States — where just 5.8 percent of vehicles sold last year were all-electric — and would exceed President Biden’s earlier ambitions to have all-electric cars account for half of those sold in the country by 2030.

It would be the federal government’s most aggressive climate regulation and would propel the United States to the front of the global effort to slash the greenhouse gases generated by cars, a major driver of climate change. The European Union has already enacted vehicle emissions standards that are expected to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. Canada and Britain have proposed standards similar to the European model.

At the same time, the proposed regulation would pose a significant challenge for automakers. Nearly every major car company has already invested heavily in electric vehicles, but few have committed to the levels envisioned by the Biden administration. And many have faced supply chain problems that have held up production. Even manufacturers who are enthusiastic about electric models are unsure whether consumers will buy enough of them to make up the majority of new car sales within a decade.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/08/climate/biden-electric-cars-epa.html?unlocked_article_code=FX45nWpKxKpUOzt84TJGhQ7Q6JjdvvWaY4X2KUyQTP90ig9B5pHx1KaXiEb_63N18DMLNGl5piGRSLmHUr7ZaQGvAON4s0bBgETUBC464eX052D409EfYeP1pskAsnNtwFnvelSMDVXz2hG6-IUFAjfXaDHj2SID6GgAnawqhRcEt-DD2q6MZO4y3jJN-Rc9BWAAYBrv782l_NhLwKCG0i8_vb57HrFNiFvOuRJLd6LqRmgbIdJSl7BVV1IES0Mm1pcFnt77c5y1uUv2ClVy-XEqlQsPkDXN0htiXDEOdonpEHilvHoEQDhfmMJ-Ew1vp0ke5WhEQldzOmbNG5tce1c&smid=url-share

Cue the outrage from Republicans and Joe Manchin...

[Celerity]

1. In before the EV haters

[Victor_c3]

2. The lack of a solid charging network is a real thing

Even the existing charging stations are hit and miss. They often mis-report on apps that they are up and functioning when in fact they aren’t.

Most charging takes place at home or at work, but I don’t have access to either. Living in an apartment, I don’t have the ability to install a charging station at home and I’d be dependent on a public charging station - that very well might not be functioning at any given moment.

I wish more emphasis was placed on plug-in hybrids in the near term. Even with a range of 40 miles on a small battery, a plug-in hybrid would allow most people to drive most errands without having to use a gasoline engine.

I would love to get an electric car - I even have one picked out, but the infrastructure just isn’t adequate. The range is more than sufficient on vehicles being offered to meet all 99% of my driving needs, minus a few trips I take a year where I’ll drive 600+ miles each way. We just need more infrastructure.

[MichMan]

3. We could emulate what Norway does

100% tax on sticker price on the consumer buying an ICE vehicle. Want to buy a gas powered SUV for $55k? Get a tax bill for another $55k on top of it.

0% tax on EV vehicles.