Biden Pledges 50% of Cars Sold Be Electric By 2030
President Biden is releasing a two-step strategy on Thursday that uses tailpipe regulations in an attempt to shift from gas-powered vehicles to electric. This push stems from the President’s goal to reduce pollution that is chiefly contributing to global warming.
The first part of Biden’s plan is to return to the auto mileage standards that were in place during Obama’s presidency but were ultimately lessened during Trump’s administration. Next, Biden and his team will outline a series of more rigid auto pollution laws, that will hopefully boost the sale of electric vehicles.
In addition, he will also sign an executive order that sets a target that by 2030 half of all vehicles sold in the United States be powered by batteries, fuel cells or be hybrid electric.
Joining in support of the President’s initiative the chief executives of the nation’s three largest automakers, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and Ford, as well as the head of the United Auto Workers. The automakers will pledge that 40 to 50 percent of their new vehicles will be electric by the year 2030.
This pledge comes under the condition that Congress passes $1 trillion infrastructure bill that calls for $7.5 billion to fund the implementation of electric vehicle charging stations across the country.
Although this appears promising, experts warn that this transition to making electric vehicles mainstream will not be feasible without making charging stations as ubiquitous as gas stations currently are today.
However in order to meet Biden’s promise to cut emissions by 50 percent from 2005 levels by the end of the decade.
Gasoline-powered cars and trucks are the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Which account for 28 percent of the nation’s total carbon emissions.
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A), Michael S. Regan said, “These stringent standards are underpinned by sound science and technical expertise, encouraging the development of technology and innovation that will drive America forward into a clean energy future.”
With the rapid deterioration of the global climate, initiatives like these are necessary to allow us to stay afloat.