Fuel Efficiency Standards

 

Trump's Vehicle Pollution Rollback Would Kill Hundreds Per Year, Agency Study Says. According to Politico, “The Trump administration’s proposal to freeze fuel economy standards and lower vehicle greenhouse gas standards would lead to as many as 300 fatalities per year from the increased pollution, according to data included in a draft environmental study flagged by the liberal advocacy group Public Citizen. The draft environmental impact statement, released last week by EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, projects the premature deaths would occur due to increases in particulate matter and ozone precursor pollutants compared to the levels under the regulation originally set by the Obama administration. One method for predicting the pollution-related health impacts concluded that the Trump proposal would lead to an increase of 73 deaths annually by 2025, 194 more deaths annually by 2035 and 299 more deaths annually by 2050. The administration touted its projections that the regulatory freeze would actually save about 1,000 lives per year — a figure questioned by outside critics as well as EPA’s own initial internal analysis. The draft EIS also found that by 2050 the proposal would lead to 199 more cases annually of acute bronchitis, 62 more respiratory-related emergency room visits annually and almost 17,000 annual lost work days. EPA referred questions on the pollution-related death projections to NHTSA. NHTSA did not immediately return a request for comment. WHAT’S NEXT: The agencies are taking public comment on the proposal, including the draft EIS, through Oct. 23.” [Politico, 8/27/18 (=)]

 

 

Europe Passes 1M Milestone Before U.S., After China. According to E&E News, “Europe now has more than 1 million electric vehicles. European sales of the cars surged during the first half of the year, rising more than 40 percent. China, which has a bigger market for the cars, hit the 1-million-car mark nearly a year ago. Sales of Tesla Inc.’s latest model are expected to help the U.S. reach that benchmark later this year. About 195,000 plug-in cars — a 42 percent increase from the previous year — were sold between January and June in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. ‘A stock of 1 million electric vehicles is an important milestone on the road to electrification and meeting emission targets, but it is of course not enough,’ said Viktor Irle, a market analyst at EV-Volumes.” [E&E News, 8/27/18 (=)]

 

The Electric Car Revolution Is Unstoppable Thanks To Elon Musk. According to Think Progress, “The long-promised electric vehicle (EV) revolution is now as unstoppable as the renewables revolution. Yet the man most responsible for this new reality — Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the Moses of EVs — may, like Moses, ultimately not enter the ‘Promised Land’ himself. That is to say, while Tesla spurred the domestic and global auto industry to bet heavily on EVs, Tesla’s own success is far from certain. Indeed, in recent weeks and months, Musk has been behaving erratically and Tesla has been flailing. The company has been missing key production targets for its mass-market Model 3 for the past year, Moody’s downgraded Tesla’s credit status, and Musk told CBS this spring, ‘I’m definitely under stress,’ later adding, ‘so if I seem like I’m not under stress then I’m gonna be clear. I’m definitely under stress.’” [Think Progress, 8/27/18 (+)]

 

 

Trump Administration Proposes Freezing Fuel Economy Mandates. According to The Heartland Institute, “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) formally proposed freezing automobile fuel mileage mandates at 2020 levels through 2026. EPA also announced it planned to revoke California’s Clean Air Act waiver for greenhouse gases which allowed it and 13 other states to set higher fuel economy requirements for cars sold within their borders. Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s August 2 announcement of the proposed freeze came four months after former EPA chief Scott Pruitt on April 2 said the agency would revoke the Obama-era standards requiring cars and light trucks sold in the United States to achieve an average of almost 55 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2025. EPA approved the 54.5 mpg mandate in December 2016, just before Obama left office and two years before the previous standards were scheduled to be reviewed. Studies show the Obama standard would substantially increase the price of cars and change the composition of the nation’s automobile and light truck fleet for years. In April, Pruitt said the Obama administration had short-circuited the process for setting fuel mileage mandates for political reasons.” [The Heartland Institute, 8/28/18 (-)]