GM recommends ambitious EPA emissions targets to encourage EV adoption

General Motors is working hard to position itself as a leader in the EV segment. The company has adopted the slogan “EV for everyone” and has released a full lineup of new EVs this year. Recently, CEO Mary Barra said she believes GM will “absolutely” pass Tesla in EV sales.

“We want to provide EVs for everyone,” said Barra at a Goldman Sachs Technology Conference last week. Now the automaker has announced it is working with the Environmental Defense Fund to push for new EPA standards that the company hopes will speed up EV adoption in the United States.

“General Motors has the ultimate goal of eliminating tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035. As new standards are being developed, we are pleased to join the Environmental Defense Fund to provide recommendations that support accelerated adoption of EVs to put us on the path toward that goal,” Barra said.

The seven new recommendations will support an all-electric future from model year 2027 onward. The standards would require at least half of new vehicles sold to emit zero emissions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030.

The US has set a goal of 50% of all new vehicles to be electric by 2030. GM seems to think more action is needed to reach that goal. According to the company, the new recommendations should help incentivize buyers to switch to electric vehicles, promote fewer emissions, and create jobs.

GM will use its Ultium platform and batteries for its new electric vehicle lineup, including the new Chevy Equinox EV, with a starting price of around $30,000. Barra said, “The way we define Ultium is it can go all the way from a small compact vehicle like the Chevrolet Equinox EV that we revealed to the world last week, all the way up to a super truck like the Hummer EV.”

The new standards would create an “innovative opt-in compliance pathway” that will reward manufacturers who take innovative action to speed up electric vehicle deployment.

The new recommendations will be proposed this fall for adoption in 2023 and will extend through 2032 or 2035. EDF President, Fred Krupp, said the proposal “will mean healthier communities, a safer climate for all, and turbocharging US manufacturing and jobs.”

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