Author: Dugan Flanakin
July 31, 2024
Months after taking office, President Joe Biden issued an executive order setting a national goal of having zero-emission vehicles account for at least 50% of all new car and truck sales by 2030. The target for zero-emission vehicles was finalized in September.
Oddly, while the new rules were intended to “decisively” move the U.S. auto market toward electric and hybrid vehicles, the EPA abandoned its original plan to ensure that two-thirds of all cars sold by 2030 are electric. . This rule favors plug-in hybrids as part of a hybrid.
If anything, Vice President Kamala Harris (perhaps because of her California roots) is more enthusiastic about the electric vehicle revolution than President Biden, although she is responsible for the $42 billion fast-charging initiative that has so far Nine charging stations have been built.
Meanwhile, the European Commission agreed a year ago to “create exemptions” from its absolutist electric vehicle directive, allowing only the continued sale of vehicles that run on e-fuels (fuels made using captured CO2 emissions).
While former President Donald Trump has vowed to end Biden's mandate and may push to repeal the new EPA tailpipe rule, as he has done before, automakers on multiple continents are quickly proving , government regulation often locks in yesterday’s technology.
Perhaps inspired by the harsh reality that 125-year-old electric vehicle technology (despite many updates since its early days) cannot solve thorny problems even today, automotive engineers on four continents are designing and companies are building , soon turning battery electric vehicles into 21Yingshi Century Edsel.
Many new engine designs will achieve zero CO2 emissions, but others will not. None of these vehicles meet the EU's definition, and all appear to be outside the scope of the Biden administration's plan, which is focused entirely on battery electric vehicles.
In an effort to salvage Biden's authorization, just last month the Energy Department announced $1.7 billion in new potential grants, primarily to General Motors and Stellantis, to convert existing factories in eight key battleground states to produce electric vehicles. and parts. The plan won't be finalized until after the November election.
But just days later, General Motors CEO Mary Barra announced that GM would delay investments in electric vehicles to ensure that “the company does not exceed demand.” The company further delayed construction of its second U.S. electric truck factory and first electric Buick. It is now certain that GM will not meet its previously announced goal of producing 1 million electric vehicles in North America by 2025.
Ford, which has suffered staggering losses on its electric vehicles (nearly $50,000 per unit sold), just announced it will spend $3 billion to expand production capacity at its Oakville, Canada, plant to produce its lucrative gasoline-powered heavy-duty F-Series pickup truck. car. Ford earlier delayed construction of a $12 billion electric vehicle plant, including plans to build a battery plant in Kentucky, citing consumer dissatisfaction.
Meanwhile, Stellantis, the world's largest automaker, has just announced that it will invest $6 billion in the South American market to produce a new generation of engines that can run on gasoline or Brazilian ethanol. Flexible fuel internal combustion engines will be able to switch fuels at will. They can also be combined with plug-in hybrid technology, which uniquely combines the flexibility of internal combustion engines, electric motors and batteries.
The new “biohybrid” range will include a basic biohybrid, which integrates an internal combustion engine (gasoline detonation engine) with electric drive; Biohybrid eDCT, a biohybrid transmission with electric dual clutch (EDC) system; and a BioHybrid Plug-in, an accessory that plugs into the car to charge.
Wisconsin-based Kohler Engine Co. a year ago launched its zero-carbon emission KDH hydrogen internal combustion engine, which can run on hydrogen sourced and developed by Kohler. The engine replaces the diesel engine's diesel injection system with a GIDE system for hydrogen supply. Kohler's move to hydrogen is just one of many.
BMW has also decided to switch from electric vehicles to hydrogen fuel cell technology. The Triton EV launches its own new hydrogen internal combustion engine, an innovation originating in India. Toyota, Hyundai and others are also building hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines. Meanwhile, Volkswagen just announced plans to cut another 1,000 jobs at its electric vehicle plant in Zwickau, Germany.
Mazda, on the other hand, recently announced the resumption of its “RE Development Group” to focus on the engineering and development of its trademarked Wankel rotary engine. Mazda says the engine's design allows the rotary engine to be connected to a lithium-ion battery pack. The company believes its lightweight engines capable of running on carbon-neutral fuel are a better solution than hydrogen fuel cells or pure electric vehicles.
Just a few days ago, EcoNews reported on Toyota's design of a hydrogen engine that eschews fuel lines and pumps and is very versatile in terms of temperature, meaning it can operate equally in different climates and terrains, and Features advanced cooling system. Toyota fuel cells are able to generate electricity without converting it into heat.
Toyota's new news is reminiscent of comments made in 2021 by the company's chief scientist, Gill Pratt. “Different people have different situations and different needs.” Biden and the EU’s mandate have clearly forgotten this in their subsidy reforms to force the world into a battery-electric future that economics and physics say is unattainable.
That means even if Kamala Harris is elected in November, electric vehicle mandates may be choked by innovation.
Dugan Flanakin (duggan@duggansdugout.com) is a senior policy analyst at the Council for a Constructive Tomorrow, writing on a variety of public policy issues.
This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and provided via RealClearWire.
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