Unthinkable in Europe
Imagine this: an end to all CO2 emission requirements for cars, and with it, all measures related to fuel consumption. Absolutely unthinkable in Europe, but a reality in the US.
In the European Union, it was already quite remarkable that the total ban on non-electric cars by 2035 was ultimately shelved. CO2 reduction still has an enormous influence on everything related to cars. After all, they simply have to be as fuel-efficient as possible to comply with the rules and are therefore increasingly electric or at least hybrid. In the Netherlands, the entirely CO2-based BPM (private motor vehicle tax) is added to this. If an inefficient car is even for sale here, it is by definition very expensive.
In the US, the latter was not the case, and the requirements were already more lenient, but even there, there were indeed targets for the CO2 emissions of the total vehicle fleet sold per manufacturer. However, not anymore. As previously announced, the ‘Endangerment Finding’ has been scrapped. This ‘finding’ is a 2009 ruling that determined that greenhouse gases, including CO2, pose a danger to public health. This Endangerment Finding was the legal basis for all greenhouse gas-related legislation. By scrapping the validity of this ruling, all that legislation is eliminated, including laws, standards, and requirements related to the CO2 emissions of cars and (light) trucks. CO2 emissions are directly related to fuel consumption, so a car can now essentially consume whatever it wants.
It has often been said lately that Europe and America are drifting apart, but in the automotive sector, this is now more true than ever. While car manufacturers here must invest maximally to reduce car consumption, there are no longer any reasons for the American market to invest heavily in this.
End to start-stop
According to Lee Zeldin, director of the official US environmental agency EPA, that is precisely the advantage. In an unmistakably American statement, he asserts that the Endangerment Finding was the holy grail of the ‘climate religion.’ Scrapping the legislation would lead to ‘cheaper cars for American families.’ In fact, everything would become cheaper, as the trucks that transport all sorts of goods would also become cheaper. Finally, Zeldin exults, the Trump administration’s move puts an end to the start-stop system, which almost everyone supposedly hates.