While some automakers and lobby groups continue to push back against proposed, stricter emissions and fuel economy standards that aim to drive EV adoption, Ford has long held its ground as a supporter of such efforts. However, another point of contention has long related to the current EV mileage rating, which is also a major component of the U.S. government’s proposed fuel economy standards, set to take effect in 2027. Now, according to Reuters, the U.S. Energy Department (DOE) is set to soften those targets amid criticism from various parties.
The DOE will reportedly reveal final rules related to its EV mileage rating today, which are expected to “significantly soften its proposal” in that regard. This proposal – the “Petroleum-Equivalent Fuel Economy” rating – was revealed back in April 2023, and was set to lower the compliance value of EVs by 72 percent in 2027. Now, following this revision, the final rule will reportedly gradually reduce the petroleum equivalent EV fuel economy rating through 2030 and by 65 percent in total.
According to environmental groups, “excessively high imputed fuel economy values for EVs means that a relatively small number of EVs will mathematically guarantee compliance without meaningful improvements in the real-world average fuel economy of automakers’ overall fleets.” The Miles Per Gallon equivalent (MPGe) ratings system used for EVs hasn’t been updated in over 20 years, however.
This change is seen as a major win for automakers like Ford, which were set to otherwise either meet these strict standards, or risk paying billions in fines through 2032 if the standards were not met. Sources say that the DOE ultimately decided to soften its approach in this regard to give automakers more breathing room in terms of meeting its targets, just as demand for EVs has cooled off over the past few months.
We’ll have more on these proposed EV mileage rating changes soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
No Comments yet