Biden Administration to Relax Electric Vehicle Mandate

[SunSeeker]

Over the past few years, the Biden Administration has worked to speed up EV adoption in the U.S. in a number of ways, ranging from introducing new incentives to proposing EPA emissions standards that call for a 56 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from light-duty vehicles between the 2027 and 2032 model years. However, this hasn’t gone over well with a number of entities – including automotive dealers and lobby groups, with one stating that such a move could cost Ford a whopping $1 billion in penalties if it fails to meet these standards. With demand for EVs falling over the past few months, Ford has responded by pushing back $12 billion in planned investments in that area, even as it set a new sales record in 2023. Now, it seems as if the Biden Administration might follow suit by relaxing its proposed electric vehicle mandate, according to the New York Times.

This report notes that the Biden Administration plans to relax some elements of this proposed electric vehicle mandate as a way to satisfy concerns from automakers and unions, while also giving them more time to ramp up EV production over the coming years. The current plan calls for a 67 percent EV sales mix for cars and light-duty trucks by 2032, but last year, those types of vehicles accounted for just 7.6 percent of overall new vehicle sales.

Though sources indicate that this requirement will remain in place, sharp increases slated to occur between now and 2030 will reportedly be scaled back to allow for a more gradual rise in EV sales, a move that comes as concerns over slowing demand and a general lack of infrastructure loom. The concept here is to allow automakers time to drive down the cost of EVs, which is expected to help sales grow a bit more organically.

“Pace matters,: said John Bozzella, president of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a lobby group that Ford belongs to. “Give the market and supply chains a chance to catch up, maintain a customer’s ability to choose, let more public charging come online.”
https://fordauthority.com/2024/02/biden-admin-to-relax-electric-vehicle-mandate-report/

[pwb]

1. Some kind of a Hybrid incentive

might work better. More hybrids can bring the same result.

[yorkster]

2. Good suggestion.

Lower prices would help. We would love a hybrid, but way too expensive for us at this point.

[Johnny2X2X]

3. His plans always had some flexibility built into them

Good to see they'readjusting it to what will work best and get us the the end goal eventually.

[SunSeeker]

8. Agreed. And it gives time for the Infrastructure Act to work in building charging stations.

In the meantime, PHEVs are the best of both worlds, with no range anxiety. Too bad they're so damn expensive.

[Johnny2X2X]

9. Is range anxiety a common thing with EV owners?

It isn’t just with prospective EV buyers?

I ask, because there are charging stations in a lot of places I see and most people do their charging at home anyway.

[SunSeeker]

10. Yes. After 2 miserable years, I dumped my Chevy Bolt EV for a Ford Escape PHEV, which I love.

You're right, most people do all their charging at home, but you can't always stay near home. I live in Southern California, where there are more charging stations than most places, but that still does not help with road trips. It is absolutely miserable having to plan your stops around where charging stations are rather than where you want to go. And then there is the hours it takes to fully charge, whereas a gas fillup only takes 5-10 minutes. Plus, more often than not, the charging station is occupied, or out of order. Then you're really fucked. The EV infrastructure is simply not adequate yet, nor is the charging technology. You should be able to get a full charge as fast as it takes to pump gas. We are years, if not decades, away from that.

My PHEV has a 37 mile electric range, which is more than adequate for my daily driving, and is conveniently taken care of with nightly charges in my garage. But now I can hit the road at the drop of hat, and drive it as a gasoline hybrid, like a Prius. Unlike my old EV, my PHEV allows me to go anywhere I want whenever I want, like hiking spots in the mountains, where there are no charging stations nearby. It is incredibly freeing, and a relief to have no range anxiety.

[doc03]

4. You can't expect people to buy an EV when there isn't the infrastructure

to support them. If they were feasible for most people you wouldn't need government
incentatives to sell them.

[Voltaire2]

5. Anyone with a garage with electricity

has the infrastructure. They might need a new higher amp outlet.

The infrastructure for city residents is running down every city street, it just needs to be made available to evs.

But certainly there should be more fast charging centers.

Rolling back is going in the wrong direction.

[doc03]

6. I will probably buy a new car next year. I may go for a hybrid if after considering

the higher cost, the $100 extra for registration and resale value. When I bought my 2020
the breakeven point for the hybrid was like 4 years. I would have to see far more charging stations
available before buying an EV and I have seen very little progress in that so far. I have always thought
hydrogen would be a better alterative.

[Voltaire2]

7. There are effectively zero hydrogen stations.

Ev tech is available now, works great, is highly reliable.

We have ev charging infrastructure, just not enough. The Tesla network is fairly extensive, and most manufacturers selling in the US are transitioning to tesla compatibility. For many people who are homeowners and just use their cars for daily commutes and errands, home charging is entirely sufficient.