April 6, 2022 – The aggressive fuel-economy regulations the Biden administration rolled out last week are intended to spur faster development of electric cars, but they rely on a credit program that some environmentalists say undercuts the program’s pollution-fighting purpose.
The system allows carmakers to claim an equivalent of more than 100 miles (161 kilometers) per gallon for each EV in their lineup, potentially allowing them to meet the 49 mpg fleetwide mandate by 2026 even if the rest of the lineup is crowded with conventional gas guzzlers and SUVs.
Automakers get extra credit for each model of hybrid or electric vehicle in their lineup regardless of how many they sell. The mileage is expressed using an equivalence, giving hybrids or electric cars a much higher miles-per-gallon calculation for the purposes of the regulation, greatly boosting a company’s average. The equivalency rate is slightly lower for hybrids.
