US proposes to lower EV mileage ratings to meet fuel economy rules

WASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposed on Monday to lower the mileage rating of electric vehicles (EVs) that meet government fuel economy requirements, which could force automakers to sell low-emission cars or upgrade conventional ones. Samples.

DOE wants to significantly revise how it calculates Petrol equivalent fuel economy Evaluation of electric and plug-in electric hybrids for use in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program.

The current system has not been updated for more than two decades.

“Encouraging the adoption of EVs may reduce gasoline consumption, but providing more credit for its adoption may lead to increased net petroleum use because it enables lower fuel economy in conventional vehicles, which are the majority of vehicles sold,” DOE said in its proposed report. Regulation.

Miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) ratings are determined using values ​​for national electricity, petroleum production and distribution efficiency, and driving patterns.

Environmental groups use fuel economy ratings for EVs much higher than those listed on the government’s consumer list to determine CAFE compliance fuel economy.gov Website.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major automakers, warned last year that lowering the values ​​could have far-reaching implications and discourage EV adoption.

The panel said Monday that it was unclear how the proposed DOE calculation would be incorporated into future CAFE standards.

The Volkswagen ( VOWG_p.DE ) ID.4 EV with its current 380.6 MPGe under CAFE would get 107.4 MPGe under the DOE plan, while the Ford ( FN ) F-150 EV would get 67.1 MPGe from 237.1 and the Chrysler Pacind-Pacind- 59.5 MPGe from 88.2. decreases to

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The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club petitioned for the change in 2021, arguing that “higher calculated fuel economy values ​​for EVs would result in a relatively small number of EVs mathematically guaranteeing compliance without meaningful improvements in the real-world average fuel economy of automakers’ overall fleets.” “

Tesla ( TSLA.O ) environmental groups supported the petition.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed new rules to make drastic cuts in vehicle emissions, which could push automakers to push for a big increase in electric vehicle sales, sources told Reuters last week.

The 2027 to 2032 model year emissions reductions are expected to see at least half of the new U.S. vehicle fleet be electric or plug-in hybrids by 2030, according to a goal outlined by President Joe Biden in 2021.

NHTSA is expected to soon propose parallel new stringent CAFE requirements. In 2022, NHTSA drastically raised CAFE standards for vehicles, reversing former President Donald Trump’s pushback.

Automakers buy credits or pay penalties if they can’t meet CAFE requirements. Stellantis ( STLAM.MI ), known as Fiat Chrysler, paid $152.3 million in total CAFE penalties for 2016 and 2017 and faces additional civil penalties. In 2022, NHTSA doubled CAFE penalties.

David Shepherdson reports; Editing by Jamie Freed

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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