Topic: Electric Vehicles (EVs)
“The department should ensure a tech-neutral approach to addressing any emerging transportation technology while keeping safety as the number one priority. As part of this, it should work to facilitate the safe and full integration of automated vehicles into the national transportation system.”
I didn’t have “supports self-driving cars” on my Project 2025 bingo card, but here we are. By default, that’s support for electric vehicles – 58% of self-driving cars are electric, and an additional 21% are hybrids. This doesn’t fit with the rest of the Project’s vehement pro-fossil fuel / anti-environment stance. (She indicates later that she is not aware of this fact.)
Full contextual analysis of Section 3.10: Department of Transportation here.
“In pursuit of an anti–fossil fuel climate agenda never approved by Congress, the Biden Administration has raised fuel economy requirements to levels that cannot realistically be met by most categories of ICE vehicles. The purpose is to force the auto industry to transition away from traditional technologies to the production of electric vehicles (EVs) and compel Americans to accept costly EVs despite a clear and persistent consumer preference for ICE-powered vehicles. In further support of this agenda, federal regulators administer a scheme of generous fuel economy credits that subsidize EV producers such as Tesla at the expense of legacy automakers.”
Does Furchtgott-Roth not know that most self-driving vehicles are EVs? It feels like she doesn’t know that. ICE is an acronym for “internal combustion engine”, meaning gas-powered vehicles.
For a breakdown of what parts of this statement are true and which are misleading, see the analysis below.
Full contextual analysis of Section 3.10: Department of Transportation here.
“The Clean Air Act allows other states to follow California’s requirements; thus, CARB is effectively determining fuel economy policies for the entire nation.”
Nope. “Allowing” does not equal “forcing.” CARB is the California Air Resources Board, which issues its own fuel economy directives for California.
Full contextual analysis of Section 3.10: Department of Transportation here.