Senators target fuel efficiency standards created by EV friendly Energy Secretary

 

 

Wyoming U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, known for his stands to protect his state and others from the Biden administration’s aggressive anti-oil and gas regulations put Electric Vehicle efforts in his latest sights.

The ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources was joined by five other Republican Senators in introducing their Recalculating Electric Vehicle Efficiency for Accuracy and Legitimacy (REVEAL) Act.

The bill would require the Secretary of Energy to use more accurate criteria when calculating the “petroleum-equivalent average fuel economy” for electric vehicles (EVs). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration uses this figure to set Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for automakers. The updated criteria would prevent the Secretary of Energy from manipulating these calculations to create a back-door mandate for manufacturing EVs.

“No administration should be able to rig efficiency calculations for electric cars. The REVEAL Act would prevent the Secretary of Energy from using these faulty calculations to prohibit the sale of gas or diesel powered cars or trucks. This is a needed step to help fight against the Biden administration’s continued manipulation of the auto market and put Americans back in the driver’s seat,” said Senator Barrasso.

The REVEAL Act would require the Secretary to:

  • Ensure the weight and class of EVs are directly comparable to gasoline-and diesel-fueled vehicles when making its petroleum-equivalent fuel economy calculations for EVs.
  • Consider the need to conserve critical minerals of the kind used to manufacture batteries and EVs, and take into account the impact of extreme temperatures and battery degradation on battery efficiency.
  • Coordinate with the Secretary of Transportation to ensure that the fuel economy for EVs is calculated incorporating the new methods for calculating efficiency in any proposed or amended CAFE standards

Joining Barrasso in filing the bill were U.S. Sens.Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Mike Lee (R-UT), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA).

Click here to read the bill text.