Trump Administration Eviscerates Strict EPA Fuel Efficiency Standards

In a bold act of deregulation, Lee Zeldin, administrator of the EPA and part of the Trump Administration has announced big cutbacks on vehicle fuel efficiency standards. Some are celebrating the move as long overdue, heralding it as something which will propel the auto industry forward. But others are concerned it spells doom for the entire planet.

Late car payment rates are climbing in the US.

The Biden Administration further tightened fuel economy standards just a year ago, pushing for a 44 percent reduction in emissions by 2032. At the time the EPA made it clear the goal was to force a portion of the US population to buy EVs whether they wanted them or not. That’s now all gone.

That move along with others has pushed automakers to put small engines with turbochargers and electric motors into full-size trucks and SUVs. While some have decided to blame the car companies, government regulation is truly the culprit.

It’s unclear if that means automakers will start trying to replace displacement and cylinders. After all, making changes to model lineups can take years and companies might be concerned this deregulation could go away in four years.

But this is one of the many promises President Trump made when he was campaigning. We know a number of people who were swayed to vote for him based largely on this issue alone. Perhaps automakers should take that into account when weighing what to do next.

After all, after years of electric vehicles capturing about five to six percent of total new car sales in the US, they’ve surged in popularity recently to a whole 8.7 percent. The EV crowd doesn’t like those numbers, because their hobby horse is truly a niche in the overall market.

Now we wait for Dodge to do the right thing and bring the Hellcat back.

Image via Stellantis