A win for automakers, UAW as U.S. softens EV mileage rule

WASHINGTON — Automakers will get significantly more mileage credits for building electric vehicles to meet U.S. fuel economy requirements than U.S. regulators initially proposed, under final rules released Tuesday.

The rule means automakers will now be able to build more gas-powered vehicles through 2030 and still meet overall Corporate Average Fuel Economy requirements than under the tougher, initial Department of Energy proposal.

The DOE unveiled final rules that soften its proposal to slash EV mileage ratings by 72 percent in 2027 to meet government fuel-economy requirements. The new rules ease revisions to the calculations and gradually phase them in through 2030, rather than by 2027.

DOE assigns miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) ratings for EVs that are averaged with internal combustion vehicles to meet an automaker's overall CAFE requirements.

The decision, first reported Monday by Reuters, is a win for the Detroit 3, other major automakers and the UAW that raised alarm that the proposal could have resulted in U.S. automakers facing $10.5 billion in CAFE fines through 2032 for not meeting fuel-economy requirements.

The final rule reduces the petroleum-equivalent EV fuel economy rating through 2030 and by 65 percent in total, giving automakers more time to adjust.

Under the prior proposal, General Motors would face $6.5 billion in fines, followed by Chrysler-parent Stellantis with $3 billion, and Ford Motor Co. $1 billion through 2032. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is set to propose final revised CAFE rules this spring.

Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella said Tuesday the earlier DOE proposal would "perversely disincentivize the production of battery electric vehicles" and would have forced automakers to pay hefty CAFE civil penalties.

He called the decision to phase in and make adjustments to the calculation "positive."

The NRDC and Sierra Club had urged EV mileage rating reductions after the DOE left them unchanged for two decades, arguing high ratings meant a "relatively small number of EVs will mathematically guarantee compliance without meaningful improvements" in the overall fleet.

"The automakers’ free ride is over," said Pete Huffman, senior attorney at NRDC on Tuesday, and the final rule "will curtail automakers’ use of phantom credits they used to keep selling gas guzzlers."

Separately, the EPA on Wednesday will unveil revised vehicle emissions requirements that will ease proposed yearly requirements through 2030 in a bid to aggressively cut tailpipe emissions and boost EV sales, sources said.