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Aligning the U.S. greenhouse gas standard for cars and light trucks with the Paris Climate Agreement
The next phase of the GHG standards present an opportunity to put the U.S. on a definitive decarbonization pathway
To put the United States on track to reach 50% electric vehicle sales in 2030, cut the greenhouse gas target in half
Making the next round of standards at anything less stringent would mean leaving climate benefits on the table
Plug-in hybrids: Friend and foe in Canada’s climate quest
The prevalence of plug-in hybrids in the electric vehicle stock has an important impact on GHG emission trends over time.
Revamping the federal EV tax credit could help average car buyers combat record gasoline prices
The federal EV tax credit is not yet an idea whose time has passed. Just the opposite. It’s a double-edged policy tool that will advance key environmental and economic aims while helping pretty ordinary Americans deal with rising gasoline prices and a rising cost of living. Now is the time to extend it, with prudent changes, as part of the reconciliation package.
Reason for optimism: Europe is on a 2-degree climate pathway for passenger cars
EV sales in Europe hit a whopping 20% in the first quarter of 2022. If it maintains this pace of market transition, it would exceed a 90% EV passenger car sales share in 2030 and achieve 100% electrification by 2032.
Details matter: The outsized climate benefits of setting annual targets for new cars in Europe
This blog uses recent ICCT modeling of the post-2020 European Union CO2 standards to quantify just how large the climate benefits of setting annual CO2 targets would be.
Transport could burn up the EU’s entire carbon budget
Vehicle CO2 standards are critical in reducing the EU’s transport sector emissions to meet Paris climate targets.
Silent but deadly: The case of shipping emissions
The health impacts of light-duty diesels are widely known today. But a new global study analyzing early deaths from transportation air pollution also highlights a lesser known culprit: international shipping.
A no-regrets option: What discussions in the European Parliament spotlight about a light-duty 2025–2030 CO2 standard for the EU
Although there is broad agreement on what steps need to be taken regarding CO2 standards for new passenger cars and vans, the regulatory proposal from the European Commission is far from actually taking them.
Scott Pruitt’s EPA wants to resurrect the dirty diesel
Additional NOx emissions from gliders under the Pruitt proposal would be 13 times what the impact of the Volkswagen fraud in the U.S. would have been had it gone undetected.
Zero emission buses are worth reaching for, but emission performance standards are the low-hanging fruit
Sales of battery electric buses are surging, yet a complete technology transition won’t happen overnight. Meanwhile, tightening emission standards on conventionally powered buses would have immediate benefits for air quality in many of the world’s fastest growing megacities.
New energy efficiency target for cars could help Brazil compete in international markets
Aligning Brazil’s new-car efficiency target with the European Union’s target would have substantial benefits for consumers. Compared to a car meeting Inovar-Auto’s 2017 target, the average new car sold in 2023 could reduce fuel costs more than 4,000 USD over the lifetime of the vehicle, equivalent to 2.4 times the cost of additional vehicle technology.
