The central planners in the Biden administration aren’t satisfied with the current rate at which consumers are buying electric vehicles (EVs), so the EPA just published a proposed rule that will require auto manufacturers to reduce their production of gas-powered cars if they don’t sell enough EVs.
This roundabout plan to curtail the use of conventional cars utilizes the EPA’s tailpipe-emissions scheme, which sets average pollution targets for an auto manufacturer’s entire fleet. If manufacturers can’t innovate emissions away to meet the agency’s proposed, stricter targets, they are forced to sell more EVs or cut back on internal-combustion engines. When manufacturers can’t move enough EVs out the door at a profit, they’ll simply mothball production of conventional cars to manipulate their fleet-wide emissions average.
Published in its entirety in National Review.