Biden announces new EPA plan to force EV mandates on American auto manufacturers

On Wednesday, the Biden administration revealed new climate regulations that would require over two-thirds of cars sold in the United States by 2032 to be either electric or hybrid.

According to the New York Times, the new tailpipe pollution limits from the Environmental Protection Agency would require 56 percent of cars sold to be electric, while 16 percent would be hybrid.

A record 1.2 million electric cars were sold in 2023, but this number represented just 7.6 percent of cars sold overall in the country.

"Three years ago, I set an ambitious target: that half of all new cars and trucks sold in 2030 would be zero-emission. Together, we’ve made historic progress. Hundreds of new expanded factories across the country. Hundreds of billions in private investment and thousands of good-paying union jobs. And we’ll meet my goal for 2030 and race forward in the years ahead," Biden said in a statement.

The EPA claimed in a statement that "these standards will avoid more than 7 billion tons of carbon emissions and provide nearly $100 billion of annual net benefits to society, including $13 billion of annual public health benefits due to improved air quality, and $62 billion in reduced annual fuel costs, and maintenance and repair costs for drivers." 

Automakers will be forced to ramp up production of low or no-emission passenger cars, light trucks, and larger pickups and vans starting with the model year 2027.

The New York Times notes that the new rule is expected to face legal challenges from fossil fuel companies and Republican attorneys general, which would see the cases make their way to the Supreme Court.

Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill told the outlet, "They may wish for us all to drive E.V.s or no cars at all, but at the end of the day that’s not their decision. ere is a limit to their authority to remake society in their own vision and the court has realized that." 

This comes as Ford in January slashed the production of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck amid low consumer demand. During the polar vortex seen across the country in January, Chicago’s electric vehicle charging stations were "turned into car graveyards" as temperatures dropped into the negative double digits. The weather became too cold that the car batteries could not hold a charge, or even begin to charge..