Former President Trump said he would immediately overturn President Biden's tailpipe emissions rules designed to push electric vehicles, his campaign said Wednesday. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
The statement comes months after Trump took aim at the Biden administration's climate agenda over its impact on blue-collar rank-and-file autoworkers. During the United Auto Workers strike last year, the former president said the best interests of American workers were his "number one concern," and that a forced EV transition would destroy the U.S. auto industry.
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Meanwhile, under the regulations unveiled Wednesday, the federal government will enforce the most stringent tailpipe emissions restrictions ever finalized beginning with model year 2027 light-duty and medium-duty vehicles. Those regulations are slated to progressively ramp up through 2032, forcing most new car purchases to be battery electric and plug-in hybrid within that time frame.
In one "low cost" model EPA outlined in the rule, administration officials said automakers would be forced to ensure 56% of light-duty car sales are battery electric and another 13% are hybrid by 2032, meaning nearly 70% of new cars would be zero-emissions or low-emissions by then.
Hummer EVs are seen on the production line at the General Motors "Factory Zero" electric vehicle assembly plant, in Detroit. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo)
According to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an association that represents major automakers, 9.3% of total car purchases in the U.S. last year were electric or plug-in hybrids – up from 7% in 2022. That uptick was driven largely by purchases in California and urban areas where the majority of EV purchases are made.
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At the same time, EVs remain far more expensive than traditional, gas-powered cars. Even factoring in generous federal and state subsidies, the average cost of an EV is about $52,500, while the average subcompact car costs $24,000.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by Fox News Digital.
Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
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