US Sets New Pollution Limit to Push Electric Vehicle Sales

The administration¹ of U.S. President Joe Biden is aiming for new rules to push electric vehicle sales in the United States.

Biden wants the Environmental Protection Agency², or EPA, to place new restrictions³ on pollution coming from cars and trucks.

The effect of the rules is that most new vehicles sold in the U.S. will need to be electric by 2032.

The new rules limit pollution that can come from cars and trucks produced between 2027 and 2032. The proposal⁴ is stronger than the one automakers agreed to less than two years ago.

The plan could be put in place by 2024. It is part of Biden's stated goal to cut in half greenhouse⁵ gasses from the U.S. by 2030. Scientists say greenhouse gasses trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere.

Here are details about the EPA's proposal.

The proposal

The EPA will not tell automakers how many electric vehicles they must sell each year. Instead, the government's pollution restrictions will influence the kinds of cars and trucks automakers can offer. The EPA believes most smaller vehicles sold by 2032 will be electric and just under 50 percent of larger vehicles, such as trucks, will be electric.

The head of the EPA is Michael Regan. Biden appointed him to lead the agency in 2021. Regan said the plan is "the most ambitious⁶...ever for cars and trucks." He said it would result in cleaner air and lower fuel costs for Americans.

What do automakers say about the plan?

John Bozzella is the leader of an automotive trade group called the Alliance⁷ for Automotive Innovation⁸. He called the new plan "aggressive" and expressed concern that the goals are too high.

He said the Biden administration announced a policy less than two years ago that was already difficult for automakers to put in place. That policy required 50 percent of all new vehicles to be electric by 2030. Bozzella called that plan a "stretch goal."

He said the success of either plan still depends on two important factors: First, automakers must be able to produce enough electric vehicles to reach the goals. Second, most Americans need to be able to pay for the new cars.

Bozzella said the question is not whether this can be done; "It's how fast can it be done?" He said the new plan requires "the right policies and market conditions."

How will the proposal help the environment?

The EPA says the new requirements would reduce pollution from vehicles by 56 percent compared to the rules set for vehicles made in 2026. They would improve air quality and save car owners thousands of dollars in fuel costs. In addition, the U.S. would not need to import as much oil.

Is the plan realistic?

In the first three months of 2023, electric vehicles accounted for 7.2 percent of all vehicles sold in the U.S. Electric vehicle sales appear to be increasing. Last year, 5.8 percent of all new vehicles sold were electric.

Automotive industry experts and research organizations say the cost of electric vehicles and the difficulty of charging them will continue to be a problem for Americans.

LMC Automotive is an industry research company. It said new electric vehicle sales could make up 49 percent of all sales by 2032. But the number may not go above that until costs come down.

A recent public opinion study said most Americans do not want to buy electric cars. Only 19 percent of those who took part said the next time they buy a car; it will be electric. Just under half said they were unlikely⁹ to buy an electric car.

One member of the Biden administration, however, said the goals are reachable with the "lead time" they have. Ali Zaidi is Biden's climate adviser¹⁰. He said the number of electric cars available has doubled and sales have tripled¹¹ since Biden took office.

"The automakers have...technology and infrastructure¹² and supply chain to be able to achieve this," Zaidi said.

Why is the new plan important?

Transportation is said to be the largest producer of carbon gasses in the U.S. The EPA said transportation uses produced about 27 percent of gasses released¹³ in 2020. Electric power production came second with 25 percent of gases produced.

Environmental groups say reducing pollution from cars and trucks would clean the air. They say less carbon gasses will reduce problems from bad weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes¹⁴ and fires.

What else is Biden's government doing to help?

The Biden administration is offering some Americans help in purchasing electric vehicles in the form of a tax credit¹⁵. However, the reduced taxes are only available to Americans with incomes below a certain level. In addition, not all cars and trucks qualify¹⁶ for the full tax credit.

Kelley Blue Book is a company that reports on the price of new and used vehicles. It said the smaller credit might not be enough to persuade Americans to buy electric cars. Right now, the average cost of an electric vehicle is about $58,000.

Words in This Story

ambitious–adj. requiring great effort or desire to do something

factor –n. a condition needed to get something done

charge –v. to add electricity to a device¹⁷ that provides a machine with power, usually to run a motor

infrastructure –n. the things needed in a modern society such as roads, bridges, power centers, railways and ports

supply chain –n. a network of businesses that supply the materials and parts needed to provide people with products and goods

achieve –v. to reach a goal

income –n. money made from work or investment

1 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。

2 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 proposal   

n.提议，建议；求婚

参考例句：

• I feel that we ought to accept his proposal.我觉得我们应该接受他的建议。
• They could not gain over anyone to support their proposal.他们无法争取到支持他们建议的人。

5 greenhouse   

n.花房，温室，玻璃暖房

参考例句：

• Behind the green house was a greenhouse.在那所绿房子后面是一个花房。
• The tomatoes were grown in the greenhouse.这些西红柿是在温室栽培的。

6 ambitious   

adj.有雄心的，劲头十足的，有野心的

参考例句：

• One may be poor but never ceases to be ambitious.人穷志不穷。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

7 alliance   

n.同盟，同盟国，结盟，联姻

参考例句：

• China will not enter into alliance with any big power.中国不同任何大国结盟。
• The new alliance was very much in evidence.新的联盟上星期很引人注目。

8 innovation   

n.改革，革新，新观念，新方法，新发明

参考例句：

• There are all sorts of possibilities for technical innovation.技术革新的门道很多。
• An enterprise should encourage innovation.企业应鼓励创新。

9 unlikely   

adj.未必的，多半不可能的；不大可能发生的

参考例句：

• It was very unlikely that he would do that.他不见得会做那种事。
• It is unlikely that she will come. 她不大可能来了。

10 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

11 tripled   

v.（使）增至三倍( triple的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The enemy tripled his strength. 敌军把兵力增加到原来的三倍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He tripled his income. 他使他的收入增加两倍[增至三倍]。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

13 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

14 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

15 credit   

n.信用，荣誉，贷款，学分；v.归功于，赞颂，信任

参考例句：

• I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
• He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉，我们做不讨好的工作。

16 qualify   

vt.取得资格，有资格，限定，描述；vi.取得资格，有资格

参考例句：

• I won't qualify until next year.我明年才具备资格。
• You must qualify yourself for the post.你必须使自己具备担任这一工作的资格。

17 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。