Tipsheet

Biden Administration Moves Full Steam Ahead With Effort to Ban Cars

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  April 12, 2023 9:15 AM

The Biden administration is proposing two sets of new rules to limit vehicle emissions in a move critics say proves electric vehicles would fail in a free market. 

The proposed Environmental Protection Agency regulation would set limits on emissions for all types of vehicles and fundamentally transform the auto industry, as manufacturers who do not get in line would face regulatory penalties.  

Under the proposal, at least 54 percent of new vehicles sold would need to be electric by 2030, while up to 67 percent may need to be electric by 2032. This is more strict than the 50-percent EV figure the auto industry agreed to in 2021. 


Biden also wants automakers to raise gas mileage and cut tailpipe pollution between now and model year 2026. That would mark a significant step toward meeting his pledge to cut America’s planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 as he pushes a once-almost-unthinkable shift from gasoline-powered engines to battery-powered vehicles.

With electric vehicles accounting for just 7.2% 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% of new vehicles sales.

The EPA declined to offer details ahead of Wednesday’s announcement, but said in a statement that as directed by Biden’s order, it is “developing new standards that will ... accelerate the transition to a zero-emissions transportation future, protecting people and the planet.″

The EPA tailpipe pollution limits don’t actually require a specific number of electric vehicles to be sold every year, but instead mandate limits on greenhouse gas emissions. That amounts to roughly the same thing, according to agency calculations of the number of EVs that likely would be needed to comply with the stricter pollution limits. (AP)

Energy industry group Power the Future blasted the proposal.

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“Biden’s newest power grab is the latest attempt to force a green agenda on an unwilling electorate in order to reward his eco-extremist supporters,” said Daniel Turner, Founder and Executive Director of Power The Future. “Despite massive tax breaks and flattering coverage in the media, EVs simply cannot compete in the free market. If Joe Biden is going to force Americans to give up their preferred mode of transportation, Congress should mandate the White House and every member of the Biden Administration drive EVs exclusively and immediately.”

The new standards are the latest effort to outright ban combustion engines in America.

And as some point out, the move makes America further dependent on China.

Answering questions about the proposal, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said "ambitious action" is required to address the "climate crisis."