The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently held a press conference announcing their final regulations for US pollution standards for vehicle models from 2027 to 2032. According to a report from Car and Driver, the new standard will reduce vehicle emissions by almost half during those five years to reduce CO2 emissions by over seven billion metric tons.
The EPA’s New Standard
The EPA’s new regulation names 80 grams per mile as the carbon emission standard for 2032. According to the report from Car and Driver, that’s half of what the current 2026 regulations allow for. The EPA estimates that by 2055, their new pollution standards could reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 7.2 billion metric tons.
It’s worth noting that these new EPA regulations are not calling for a “car ban.” According to Car and Driver’s report, Ali Zaidi, the White House’s climate policy advisor, said they are not setting goals for electric vehicle (EV) sales numbers as part of their new mandate.
Zaidi broke down these rules for Car and Driver when he said, “The way these rules work, they are technology neutral, which means that different automakers will approach them in different ways, harnessing a variety of technologies to meet that target of reducing emissions in half over that period.”
Zaidi added, “What you literally find in the rule is that there are different ways that automakers could comply with the rules. For example, some automakers in 2032 could potentially make a third of their fleet be plug-in hybrid vehicles, a third be battery-electric, and the rest be a variety of internal combustion engine vehicles. There are a number of technology tools and choices available to automakers, and I think that’s gonna get reflected in the market.”
According to Car and Driver, the EPA has been developing these new regulations for around three years. Zaidi also told them that the administration significantly benefited from last spring’s public comment period when they released their proposed rules. The feedback the EPA received from the public was crucial in figuring out how to proceed as the country continues to ramp up domestic EV production, according to Zaidi.
A report from Motor1 notes that the EPA’s regulations surrounding tailpipe emissions have significantly fluctuated in recent years. For example, the Obama administration made them stricter, while the Trump administration peeled them away, with the Biden administration reinstating them. The outcome of the upcoming presidential election will undoubtedly affect them again.