The Environmental Protection Agency is set to propose new rules that will significantly boost electric vehicle sales.
According to The New York Times, the EPA and Biden administration are set to unveil the most aggressive automotive pollution limits in the world in an effort to ensure EVs comprise the majority of vehicles sold in the US. The legislation’s goal is for EVs to make up 67% of new sales by 2032. Needless to say, the goal is a major jump from the current 5.8% share EVs currently comprise.
While virtually every automaker has committed to transforming its lineup, few, if any, have committed to as aggressive a timetable as the administration is clearly targeting.
“This is a massive undertaking,” said John Bozzella, president of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents large U.S. and foreign automakers. “It is nothing short of a complete transformation of the automotive industrial base and the automotive market.”
As part of that transformation, the US will need to completely overhaul its entire automotive infrastructure, from deploying charging stations to retraining technicians to work on EVs.
With such a transformation, some are already concerned about the potential for lost jobs.
“We’ve dealt with the loss of jobs before through technology, but when you talk about the speed of this, it’s hard to fathom that we won’t lose jobs,” Mark DePaoli, a leader of United Auto Workers Local 600, said in a recent interview.
The EPA is expected to announce the new proposals Wednesday. In the meantime, an agency spokesperson did not confirm the plans but said the agency is working to “accelerate the transition to a zero-emissions transportation future, protecting people and the planet.”