Page 28 - AT

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 29 october 2018
GM proposes nationwide zero-emissions vehicle sales mandate

der the administration’s
proposal, submitted more
than 400 pages of analysis
rejecting the plan and the
research behind it.
California argues freezing
emissions standards for six
model years would exacer-
bate climate change, de-
press research in cleaner
technologies and lead to
higher spending on gaso-
line. It also says the plan
endangers the U.S. auto
industry by allowing other
countries to take the lead
in developing affordable
electric vehicles and bat-
teries.
“I think a lot of the car
companies know they’ve
got to build clean, electric
or hydrogen cars,” Brown
said at Friday’s interstate
news conference. “If they
don’t, they’ll be working for
Chinese companies.”
Separately, 21 attorneys
general and five cities
In this Oct. 26, 2018, file photo, downtown Los Angeles is shrouded in early morning coastal fog and smog. signed a letter saying the
Associated Press administration’s proposal is
By TOM KRISHER the request Friday in writ- end of the Obama admin- sold by an automaker and illegal. Trump could chal-
AP Auto Writer ten comments on a Trump istration, the fleet of new gives credits for fully elec- lenge California’s power to
DETROIT (AP) — General administration proposal to automobiles would have to tric vehicle sales and par- set its own standards, grant-
Motors says it will ask the roll back Obama-era fuel get 36 miles per gallon (15 tial credits for plug-in gas- ed under the Clean Air Act,
federal government for economy and emissions kilometers per liter) by 2025, electric hybrid vehicles. and that could set up a
one national gas mileage standards, freezing them at 10 miles per gallon (4 kilo- Credits can be banked or lengthy legal battle since
standard, including a re- 2020 levels instead of grad- meters per liter) higher than sold to other automakers California has pledged to
quirement that a percent- ually making them tougher. the current requirement. that need them. defend its quest to reduce
age of auto companies’ California Gov. Jerry Brown, But the Trump administra- GM’s proposal would set pollution.
sales be zero-emissions ve- whose state was one of tion’s preferred plan is to lower zero-emissions ve- The EPA’s acting admin-
hicles. many opponents to the freeze the standards start- hicle requirements than istrator, Andrew Wheeler,
Mark Reuss, GM’s execu- mileage rollbacks filing ob- ing in 2021. Administration California, but spread them has said he wants a single
tive vice president of prod- jections to the Trump plan, officials say waiving the to the entire nation. The re- mileage standard nation-
uct development, said the stood in front of Interstate 5 tougher fuel efficiency re- quirements would gradu- ally. Wheeler “has pledged
company will propose that in Sacramento on Friday to quirements would make ally increase until 2025. to work in earnest with
a certain percentage of urge the cause of cleaner vehicles more affordable, Reuss said GM’s proposal states and stakeholders to
nationwide sales be made cars and condemn the ad- which would get safer cars is a starting point for dis- find a solution as we take
up of vehicles that run on ministration’s proposal. into consumer hands more cussions on one set of na- comments on the new pro-
electricity or hydrogen fuel “Foolishly, it mandates gas quickly. GM on Thursday tional fuel efficiency and posal,” agency spokesman
cells. guzzlers instead of clean said it doesn’t support the zero-emissions vehicle stan- James Hewitt said Friday.
“A national zero emissions and zero-emission vehi- freeze, but wants flexibil- dards. Environmental groups still
program will drive the scale cles,” Brown told reporters ity to deal with consumers’ “We want really one na- are likely to oppose any
and infrastructure invest- as trucks and passenger shift from cars to less-effi- tional set of standards,” he changes in the standards.
ments needed to allow the traffic roared past. “Wrong cient SUVs and trucks. said. “Engineering to mul- Daniel Becker of the Safe
U.S. to lead the way to a way to go, Donald. Get Its proposed requirement tiple standards is very costly Climate Campaign, an
zero emissions future,” Re- with it. Bad.” would be based on current and frankly, unnecessary.” environmental advocacy
uss said. Under a regulation final- standards now required in Federal and California group, said automakers like
GM, the nation’s largest ized by the Environmental California and nine other gas mileage standards GM want the federal gov-
automaker, spelled out Protection Agency at the states. Under those rules, have been the same since ernment to set standards
GM must sell a minimum of 2010. But if President Don- rather than California be-
around 2,200 fully electric ald Trump’s administration cause it’s easier to lobby
vehicles in California this ends up relaxing the re- for loopholes in Washing-
year, or about 1.1 percent quirements, it could create ton. “The auto companies
of the roughly 200,000 cars, two standards, one for Cali- want to be able to make
trucks and SUVs that it nor- fornia and states that fol- a small number of electric
mally sells in the state each low it, and another for the vehicles and a large num-
year. rest of the nation. ber of gas-guzzling SUVs
California sets the require- California, whose unique and other trucks instead of
ments based on a complex authority to set its own ve- complying with the exist-
formula that considers the hicle emissions standards ing mileage and emissions
total number of vehicles would be rolled back un- rules,” Becker said.q