The next administration of President-elect Donald Trump plans to challenge federal regulations backed by President Joe Biden that aim to improve automobile fuel efficiency and promote the transition to electric vehicles, according to two people familiar with Trump’s transition team.
The move, which would mirror a similar measure taken under the first Trump administration to overturn vehicle-efficiency requirements under the Obama administration, would appear to fulfill a campaign goal made by Trump to “end the EV mandate.”
The sources claim that the next government plans to relax fuel economy standards and tailpipe emissions rules that the US National Highway Traffic and Safety government and the Environmental Protection Agency agreed upon earlier this year. According to one of the individuals, Trump is expected to specifically direct those agencies to review the Biden regulations.
The intention to abolish Biden’s vehicle-efficiency requirements was first reported by Bloomberg.
Last week, Reuters revealed exclusively that Trump’s transition team is planning to do away with the $7,500 consumer tax credit for buying electric cars. The already stalled EV transition in the US would surely be delayed by this.
During the first Trump administration, it took more than three years to eliminate similar Obama-era limitations. After Trump called for a review of the standards in early 2017, NHTSA and the EPA formally began modifying them in 2018. It was not until March 2020 that any agency finalized less restrictive regulations.
One of the sources claims that the move is meant to appease manufacturers who have complained about the onerous nature of the Biden standards.
