In a bold move that left auto industry professionals sputtering like an old gas-guzzler, the Environmental Protection Agency declared that by 2032, 90% of new light-duty passenger vehicles sold will be electric dreams on wheels. From swanky sedans to muscle-bound trucks, get ready for some electric slide action. As if that wasn’t enough, they also vowed that 46% of newly sold medium-duty trucks, like fancy delivery vans, will be cheerfully cruising on zero-emissions tech. What a time to be alive!
Not content to stop there, the E.P.A. tossed in a companion rule (we all need a good sidekick, right?) for big ol’ heavy-duty beasts. By 2032, half of the new buses and a quarter of new heavy trucks will be electrifying the roads with their sparky awesomeness. Bring on the eco-thunder!
Now, we can’t have good news without the Debbie Downers chiming in, can we? While the combined impact of these two rules would dump the equivalent of CO2 emissions from two whole years of the US economy into the bin, some cautious car folk are pumping the brakes. Auto workers and manufacturers, in what seems like an electric shock to the heart, are fretting that this high-speed, flashy transition might actually murder jobs and profits. Well, that’s quite the twist in the road!
