According to reports, US president- Joe Biden has started to influence the concept of electric cars using his capacity by signing an executive order targeting half of the new vehicles sold in 2030 to be zero-emission, being it EV’s, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, or plug-in hybrids.
It is being said that, this step, other than just encouraging clean transportation & restricting climate change, is being used to help the US surpass a china-based automobile industry that has started moving towards electric vehicles at a faster pace.
In addition to this, keeping the presidential order in mind, the US environmental protection Agency (EPA) along with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will lay out their plans to unbind the steps taken by Trump’s administration in regards to fuel efficiency and emission standards.
As noted in a report by Engadget, the two organizations will get together using standards developed using the ‘memorandum’ from an agreement between California and automobile manufacturers BMW, Volkswagen, Ford, Volvo, and Honda.
Furthermore, the rules put forward by EPA would be taking effect around 2023, while those from the NHTSA are planned to take place in the 2024 model year. The collaboration of the two organizations would have the standards mesh in or around the 2026 model year as planned so far.
Having said that, moving towards Zero-emission vehicles is also a vital step towards improving the air quality index and addressing climate changes. ZEV’s are important to be encouraged because of the rapidly depleting fuel levels around the world and using up of natural resources for the same. Not to mention, the rising prices of fuel in many countries including India.
The Biden government has also made efforts to gain support from local brands for the initiative. Many automakers including general motors, ford, and others have shown similar interests to meet the 2030 target and hence has offered their aid to Biden’s vehicle electrification strategies
It is a significant goal as electric vehicles have shown around 2 percent sales in the US automobile sector in the past 3 years. So, the president’s target of 2030 would completely revolutionize the US car markets but with the right charging infrastructure to support it of course.
In conclusion, I feel that this is a step in the right direction and it can be seen as the United States starting a trend of electric vehicles which might drag behind, not only other nations but car makers around the globe. It feels like the new tomorrow and with the right pace and infrastructure needed, EV’s can be a great success worldwide.
