Half of new U.S. car sales would be electric by 2030 in goals set by Biden order
With the auto industry’s backing, President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Aug. 5 that calls for half of new car sales in 2030 to be zero-emission vehicles.
Separately, his administration is expected to release new fuel-mileage and emissions standards modeled after California’s that would cut greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles by 2026.
Biden’s measures undo Trump-era fuel-efficiency rollbacks that allowed more vehicle emissions and led to a legal battle with California.
The executive order sets a “robust schedule” for development of fuel-efficiency and multi-pollutant emissions standards through at least 2030, according to a White House memo.
“We’re at an inflection point in world history,” Biden said in front of the White House before signing the order. “We have to save the planet.”
The White House said it will work with California and other states with strict fuel-mileage standards to help it to achieve its goal. The goal of the agencies’ announcement is to save about 200 billion gallons of gasoline and reduce around 2 billion metric tons of carbon pollution, according to a White House memo sent to reporters.
“Today’s proposal will help to clean the air and create a healthier future for our children and our planet,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing our decades-long collaboration with federal partners to build on California’s clean car leadership and deliver the investments needed to support the nationwide build-out of clean vehicle infrastructure.”
The order and agencies’ new standards should cut greenhouse gas emissions from new passenger vehicle sold by at least 60% in 2030 compared to vehicles sold last year. It should also reduce net economy-wide greenhouse gas emission reductions well below 2005 levels in 2030, with the goal of cutting them in half.
Ford, GM and Chrysler commit to Biden target
Biden announced the order as part of his “Build Back Better Plan” alongside representatives from Ford, GM, Stellantis (which owns Chrysler and Fiat) and the United Auto Workers. Ford, GM and Stellantis said 40-50% of their new vehicles in 2030 would be battery electric, fuel cell and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
“Our recent product, technology and investment announcements highlight our collective commitment to be leaders in the U.S. transition to electric vehicles,” they said in a joint statement.
Julia Stein, an environmental-law expert at UCLA, said the Biden plan represents “a marked improvement over the Trump-era standards.” But she suggested plenty of damage has already been done to the climate from Trump’s efforts to rescind the original rules.
“There’s much ground to be made up, considering where we would have been if the Obama standards had remained in effect,” she said.
Transportation accounted for 29% of all greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, according to the EPA — the most of any sector. Carbon emissions also cause pollution that irritates asthma and create smog.
Trump targeted California clean air rules
The controversy over fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions stems from a plan brokered by the Obama administration, automakers and the California Air Resources Board in 2011. California had a seat at the table because of its unique authority, under the federal Clean Air Act of 1970, to set air-pollution standards that are tougher than the federal government’s.
The 2011 deal called for average fuel economy for cars to reach over 50 miles per gallon by 2025, which would translate into a more than 30% drop in greenhouse gas emissions.
But Trump’s administration rolled back the Obama-era fuel standards. It rescinded California’s authority to establish its own rules on greenhouse gas emissions. It also meant California couldn’t enforce its “clean car” program that requires automakers to sell electric vehicles in increasing numbers.
California responded with litigation — and a bit of gamesmanship. In July 2019, Newsom and Mary Nichols, then the head of the California air board, announced that Ford, Honda, BMW and Volkswagen had agreed to a new compromise plan called the California Framework Agreement.
Under the California plan, the four automakers’ fleets would achieve the original 50 mpg standard envisioned by Obama — but they would meet the goal in 2026, instead of 2025.
Furious with the development, the Trump administration launched an antitrust investigation of the four automakers, which was later dropped.
Environmentalists, senators call for more stringent standards
When Biden was elected president, it was clear the Trump fuel standards would disappear. But some environmentalists are angry with Biden’s rules, saying the new administration has capitulated to pressure from the automakers.
“Today’s proposal relies on unenforceable voluntary commitments from unreliable car makers to make up to 50% of their fleets electric by 2030. These are the companies that tore up the agreement they made with President Obama to cut pollution, so why would anyone trust them now?” said Dan Becker, who oversees transportation issues for the Center for Biological Diversity. “The only reason automakers have ever cut pollution is because strong rules forced them to. And these rules won’t.”
California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla also commended Biden’s step, but said that a date should be set for zero-emissions from all vehicles and to look again at stricter standards starting in 2026.
“We must decarbonize the transportation sector as quickly as possible to give us a fighting chance to breathe clean air and attain a prosperous, clean energy economy that works for everyone. The automobile industry has shown it has the ability and willingness to make this transition while creating good-paying jobs and saving Americans money,” they said in a joint statement.
McClatchy’s Alex Roarty and Francesca Chambers contributed to this story.
This story was originally published August 5, 2021 at 6:14 AM with the headline "Half of new U.S. car sales would be electric by 2030 in goals set by Biden order."
