WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will propose strict new automobile pollution limits this week that would require at least 54 per cent of new vehicles sold in the United States to be electric by 2030 and as many as two of every three by 2032, according to industry and environmental officials briefed on the plan.
Environmental groups are applauding the ambitious numbers, which were first reported over the weekend by The New York Times. But the plan is likely to get strong pushback from the auto industry, which pledged in August 2021 to make EVs half of U.S. new-car sales by 2030 as it moves toward a history-making transition away from internal combustion engines.
With electric vehicles accounting for just 7.2 per cent of U.S. vehicle sales in the first quarter of this year, the industry has a long way to go to even approach the administration's targets. However, the percentage of EV sales is growing. Last year it was 5.8 per cent of new-vehicles sales. Suggesting a brake on the optimistic idea of vast emission improvements simply through rule making, however, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade association that includes Ford, General Motors and other automakers, said: “Regulatory mandates alone will not address the conditions that will determine the ultimate success of the EV transition.”
Transportation is the single largest source of carbon emissions in the United States, but it is followed closely by electricity generation. At present, many new EVs manufactured in North America are eligible for a $7,500 tax credit, while used EVs can get up to $4,000.