The Biden administration, in partnership with California, is overseeing a whole-of-government effort to ban new gas, diesel and flex fuel vehicles. The end game shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. It was a feature of the President’s 2020 climate plan. This policy agenda—spearheaded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT)—is bad for Americans, bad for our economy and bad for U.S. national security. And sadly, most Americans know little to nothing about what’s going on.
The big 3 government policies advancing the ‘gas car ban agenda’...
1.
EPA’s pending authorization of California’s ban
California’s ban on sales of new gas, diesel and traditional hybrid vehicles requires EPA approval before it can be implemented, and implementation begins soon—with model year 2026 cars and trucks. If EPA authorizes the California ban, it’s going to become law in more than a dozen states, covering at least 35% of the U.S. population and auto market.
2.
EPA’s passenger vehicle standards
This EPA proposal,
covering model year 2027-2032 passenger vehicles, would set such stringent tailpipe emissions standards that most vehicle sales would have to be electric in order to meet them (EVs accounted for less than 8% of sales last year). Today, no gas cars, diesel cars or traditional hybrids, on their own, come close to meeting EPA’s proposed standards for 2032. Only five plug-in hybrids would make the cut, but all EVs get a perfect score regardless of their other environmental and emissions impacts. EPA’s standards would compel automakers to eliminate much of their new gas, diesel and traditional hybrid vehicle offerings by 2032, leaving consumers with less choice and vastly restricted access to affordable vehicles capable of meeting their needs. Read more on this specific policy
here.
3. DOT’s fuel economy standards
The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards
proposed by the DOT are so severe they can only be met if the new vehicle fleet is primarily composed of cars and trucks that run on electrons rather than gallons. The standards, through 2032, are set so high they are very clearly aimed at eliminating most internal combustion engines from the new car and truck market.
There’s a better way than banning gas cars...
AFPM is drawing attention to these policies because we know there is a better way to cut carbon and improve vehicle performance and efficiency for consumers. AFPM members are doing that work, and unlike the Biden administration’s big three proposals, we believe successful, consumer-first policies must consider the full lifecycle impacts of all fuels and vehicles (not just tailpipe emissions) and encourage real competition across vehicle technologies and powertrains.
For a deeper dive on the issue, visit AFPM.org and read the pieces below.
Read more: