United States president Joe Biden has signed an executive order that is aimed at making electrified vehicles account for 50% of all new vehicles sold in the country by 2030. This comes several months after the US rejoined the Paris Agreement in February, reversing a decision by former president Donald Trump.
The new national target includes vehicles powered by fuel cells and batteries as well as plug-in hybrid powertrains featuring internal combustion engines. It’s important to note that the target is not legally binding, so the order doesn’t function as a mandate that automakers must follow.
This differs from a binding requirement set by California and in other countries, which requires all new vehicles sold to be zero-emission by a certain time. However, that hasn’t stopped various automakers like Ford, General Motors and Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis, from pledging their support. Even Hyundai, Nissan and Toyota have announced their support for the 50% sales goal.
The Biden administration also proposed new vehicle emissions standards that would reduce pollution through the 2026 model year in stages, starting with a 10% stringency increase in the 2023 model year. This is expected to be similar to California’s 2019 deal with some automakers to improve fuel economy by 3.7% annually through 2026, as reported by Reuters.
If everything goes according to plan, the US hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by passenger vehicles by more than 60% by the end of the decade compared to 2020 levels. The order also sets a schedule for new standards involving commercial vehicles through at least 2030 for light-duty vehicles, and as early as 2027 for larger vehicles.
These initiatives to will not only help in the fight against climate change, but also promote the adoption of electrified vehicles in the US. The latter will be important for the country to become an industry leader in the EV space, which is currently dominated by China.
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