Electric vehicle sales are not meeting the necessary levels to achieve proposed EPA emissions standards, posing a challenge to President Biden’s green-energy agenda.
In the second quarter of this year, EVs accounted for 9.1% of all new light-duty vehicle sales, or just under 355,000 EVs, according to an analysis by the auto industry lobbying group Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
This represents a modest increase from the previous quarter and a significant increase from the second quarter of 2022.
The administration is proposing stringent tailpipe emissions rules that would require automakers to sell up to 60% EVs by 2030 and 67% by 2032.
At the current pace of EV market growth, it would take more than two decades for the industry to reach the 60% threshold.
Since 2020, the U.S. has only averaged a yearly EV market share growth of just over two percentage points.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major automakers, has called the administration’s expectations “neither reasonable nor achievable in the timeframe provided.”
California led the states in new EV sales in the second quarter, followed by the District of Columbia, Washington, New Jersey, and Oregon.
The AAI report also highlighted the lack of growth in new public charging stations, which is crucial for the expansion of EV sales.
In the first half of this year, the number of publicly available EV chargers increased by just 11% compared to the 57% increase in overall EV sales.
The California Energy Commission estimates that a ratio of one public charging port per seven EVs will be needed for a successful transition from internal combustion engines. Currently, the U.S. has a ratio of approximately 26 EVs per charger.
EVs have become more affordable compared to gas-powered vehicles, and there are also increased tax credits for EV buyers and domestic battery manufacturers.
In the second quarter, the average cost for an EV was $54,300, while the average cost for a gas-powered vehicle was $48,500.
