A key part of the Biden administration's environmental agenda involves pushing for a dramatic increase in the number of electric vehicles on roads. The Biden administration tightened fuel economy standards for cars and SUVs Friday, issuing rules that officials estimate will push the average efficiency of new vehicles beyond 50 miles per gallon by 2031.
The rules, issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, call for improvements over a five-year span starting with 2027 models, and are projected to cut fuel consumption by 70 billion gallons of gasoline by 2050. The fuel savings translate into about $600 less in gas costs over the life of a new vehicle, NHTSA projects.
The final version of the standards is weaker than an initial proposal by the agency that automakers argued would be all but impossible to meet., and take into account efforts led by state regulators in California to spur the adoption of electric vehicles. Private cars and trucks are a major source of carbon emissions, and a key part of the Biden administration’s environmental agenda involves pushing for a dramatic increase in the number of battery-powered vehicles on roads.
The response from environmental advocates to the new rules was mixed, with some arguing they don’t go far enough and others praising them as an important step forward.“Today’s final rule is another important step toward reducing carbon pollution and curbing climate change,” said Harold Wimmer, president and chief executive of the American Lung Association. “The new fuel efficiency requirements for new cars, SUVs and pickup trucks are beneficial for consumers and for health.
The Biden administration has taken several steps to get more drivers into electric vehicles, backing tax credits for purchases and investing in a network of public chargers. But sales growth has slowed in recent months, as the size of the electric fleet