Unions warn of a botched phase-out of gas-powered vehicles, and a stricter US auto emissions mandate benefits Tesla

Photo Credit: The New York Times According to a new EPA regulation on car emissions, new electric vehicle sales in the US should account for 2/3 of all sales by 2032. In an effort to propel EV sales more than tenfold over present levels, the government is preparing to publish the new tough restriction on gas-powered automobiles this week. This Wednesday, Michael S. Regan, the director of President Biden's Environmental Protection Agency, is expected to announce the strict US government regulation of automobile emissions. According to the EPA, tailpipe emissions will be drastically reduced, forcing automakers to accelerate the switch to electric vehicles in their lineup. When the government's IRA tax credits expire in 2032, the rule will try to ensure that two-thirds of the new cars sold will be electric vehicles. Photo Credit: The Wire Science For this reason, the EPA has granted a level of access to its labs and EV testing techniques that is relatively unusual. In order to match the emissions standard with what EV batteries can achieve now and what will be feasible in the near future, it has been conducting numerous tests on electric vehicles there. According to David Haugen, director of the National Fuel and Vehicle Emissions Laboratory, the test findings have given the EPA confidence that automakers can accomplish this: We are very confident that this can happen after observing these technologies in action. This rule will assist all automakers in moving as quickly as they can so that we can handle climate change with the seriousness it requires. However, the labor required to assemble an electric vehicle is just approximately half that of a vehicle with a gas engine and numerous small moving parts. More than 150,000 of their members may lose their jobs, according to estimates from the car industry union, as a result of the quick conversion to electric vehicles. Also read: Toyota’s Akio Toyoda Wants to Convert Classic Cars Into Electric Vehicles The government is attempting to solve this problem by providing subsidies of up to $7,500 each new electric vehicle built in the US, or 35 cents per kWh of battery capacity created in the US. However, the new battery and electric vehicle manufacturing facilities are primarily being constructed in the South due to the region's lenient union laws. Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times The balancing act will be challenging, but eventually needs to happen, according to Michigan Representative Debbie Dingell, a former executive at GM. The president and I have had sincere, heart-to-heart talks, and he is aware of these employees' fears. In order to accomplish something similar without harming people, we must ensure that the necessary policy foundations are in place. Too much is on the line for this to be done incorrectly.