EPA officially releases new proposal to freeze fuel economy standards

The US Environment protection Agency (EPA) has officially released its proposal to freeze fuel economy standards; a move which may result in a further slowdown in electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the country. Electric vehicles need government’s support for better adoption as majority of electric vehicles cost much higher compared to conventional vehicles.
The official release of the proposal by the EPA is a consequence of nearly two years of negotiations with the auto industry, the oil industry and other stakeholders. The proposal pertains to freezing the fuel economy standard beginning in 2020, and thus sets aside the more aggressive goals of ‘between 2021 and 2026’ which were originally set for automakers during President Obama’s reign.
Under the EPA’s new proposal, the estimated levels of CAFE and CO2 for passenger cars would be set to average at 43.7 mpg (5.38 l/100 km) and 204 g CO2/mile in the US. Previously, during President Obama era, automakers had agreed to a proposed doubling of their fleet-wide average fuel economy to 54.5 mpg by 2025.
Though the earlier proposal was aimed at encouraging automakers to mass produce EVs, the present EPA opines that the previously-set goals would have been “costly.”
About the new proposal, climate denier and coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler -- the EPA’s acting administrator -- said that the new proposal “aims to strike the right regulatory balance,” and added: “We are delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American public that his administration would address and fix the current fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards.”
- 7959 reads
Popular Stories

According to a new report coming via Second Measure, Tesla Model 3 reservations have been witnessing an incredible increase in recent times, but nearly 23% of the vehicle’s reservations have apparently been refunded by the automaker.

In its 2018 first-quarter report, electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors informed that the recall of Model S vehicles in March was caused by rusty bolts supplied by German auto parts supplier Bosch.

In a recent interview with Autocar, an executive at British automaker Jaguar said that the ‘SVR’ performance version of the automaker’s new all-electric I-PACE SUV could be quicker than US electric vehicle maker Tesla’s next-generation Roadster.

In a recent announcement made via The Verge, Alphabet’s Waymo division has revealed that it is expanding its self-driving fleet with the addition of 62,000 more units of the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan.

According to a new report, EV startup Rivian Automotive has shared some interesting details about two electric vehicles -- A1T Pickup Truck and AIC SUV -- which it plans to produce at an old Mitsubishi vehicle-manufacturing factory in Normal, Illi