Biden Clears Way for States to Curb Vehicle Pollution
By Luke Tonachel, Director, Clean Vehicles and Fuels Group, Climate & Clean Energy Program, NRDC
President Biden is following through on his promise to re-establish the long-held authority of governors to adopt vehicle pollution regulations to protect the health and welfare of people in their states.
The Biden EPA today proposed reinstating a Clean Air Act waiver that allows states to enforce vehicle tailpipe standards that are stronger than federal standards.
The state standards have been key drivers in advancing the technologies to clean up gasoline cars and diesel freight trucks while also ramping up much-needed deployment of zero-emission electric vehicles.
Used Car Shoppers Might Find the Best Deals over 100,000 Miles
CarGurus' tool for tracking used-car price trends shows the average price of a used car is $23,723, up almost 14 percent compared to this time last year. That's more than 10 times the 2020 rate of inflation.
New car production isn't at full strength thanks to shortages of materials as varied as steel, semiconductor chips, and seating foam. Fewer new car purchases mean fewer used cars to choose from
Lurking in a corner of the market many used car buyers typically avoid: vehicles with more than 100,000 miles. Both the novice and the savvy enthusiast used to view 50,000 miles as the bright line separating jewels from junk. But with vehicles having gotten so much better over the last 15 years, and absurd demand, dealers report that used cars with six figures on the odometer are finding good homes.
Read the article at Car and Driver.
With More Electric Vehicles Comes More Proof of Safety
Evidence is growing that electric vehicles are at least as safe as conventional ones, with two more vehicles that run exclusively on battery power earning safety awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The 2021 TOP SAFETY PICK award requires good ratings in all six IIHS crashworthiness tests — driver- and passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints.
“It’s fantastic to see more proof that these vehicles are as safe as or safer than gasoline- and diesel-powered cars,” says IIHS President David Harkey. “We can now say with confidence that making the U.S. fleet more environmentally friendly doesn’t require any compromises in terms of safety.”
Read the article at IIHS.
What Would it Take to Get You to Only Buy EVs From Now on?
Electric cars, SUVs, and trucks are either shiny new toys, the wave of the future, or the scourge of the automotive business, depending on whom you ask. Manufacturers are casting a wide net within the EV genre to cover a variety of interests.
Some people buy EVs for the Federal Electric Car Tax Credit of up to $7,500. Others want to limit their time and money buying gas at the pump. Some want them for environmental aspects, while others enjoy the quick response to the touch of the accelerator.
Companies like Blink Charging, which just launched an emergency roadside charger for EVs, may lessen the concern of range anxiety among buyers. Whether that's enough for you to buy an EV and drive it full time remains to be seen.
Read the article at MSN.
Consumer Reports Shows a Tesla Can Drive With No One in the Driver’s Seat
A Consumer Reports test driver has demonstrated in a new video that, yes, a Tesla vehicle with the Autopilot feature will drive with no one in the driver's seat.
The question came up after a fatal accident in Texas last weekend, said Jake Fisher, head of auto testing at Consumer Reports. In that crash, according to police, no one was in the driver's seat of a Tesla Model S when it crashed at high speed, killing two passengers.
The researchers at Consumer Reports said they found that it would be easy to trick Tesla's Autopilot feature into driving without a driver in the driver's seat. "In our evaluation, the system not only failed to make sure the driver was paying attention, but it also couldn't tell if there was a driver there at all," said Fisher, who conducted the experiment.
Read the article at CNN.
