Trump Says He Approved Fuel Economy Rollback Affecting Biden-Era EV Rules
The final standards have not been publicly detailed, but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy previously said they would be sharply lower than Biden-era rules.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that he approved new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards intended to replace stricter Biden-era rules designed to improve fuel efficiency and encourage electric vehicle adoption.
The change could alter automakers’ product plans by reducing the regulatory pressure to expand EV and hybrid offerings. Looser fuel-economy rules also give manufacturers more flexibility to produce pickup trucks and SUVs, which typically deliver lower mileage than smaller vehicles.
The Biden administration’s standards called for passenger cars and light trucks to reach roughly 50 miles per gallon by 2031. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had previously indicated that the replacement standards would be sharply lower, but the final targets were not detailed in the announcement.
Trump presented the rollback as a way to reduce vehicle-production costs and lower prices for consumers. “These new Standards will take the waste out of building cars in America,” Trump wrote, adding that the changes would allow manufacturers to build more vehicles domestically.
The action fulfills Trump’s campaign promise to rescind policies that encouraged or incentivized electric vehicles. Automakers, including General Motors, have said they will continue producing EVs despite the regulatory shift.
