Aug 06 , 2021. 15 hours ago – 18:23 KYODO NEWS

WASHINGTON – The U.S. administration of President Joe Biden said Thursday it will aim to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 electrified vehicles, while developing long-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards to advance efforts to tackle the climate crisis.

The move is expected to help the United States, the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China, achieve its goal to cut emissions roughly in half by 2030, underscoring a shift from the previous administration led by Donald Trump that oversaw a rollback of environmental policies.

By signing an executive order, Biden will set what he views as an “ambitious new target” to raise the share of sales of zero-emission vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell electric vehicles, to 50 percent in 2030, a senior administration official said.

The Biden administration is calling for investment in electric vehicle manufacturing, saying that doing so will not only create well-paid jobs but will better position the country to win “the future of transportation and manufacturing” and “outcompete” China.

“Today, the U.S. market share of electric vehicle sales is only one-third that of the Chinese electric vehicle market. The president believes it is time for the U.S. to lead in electric vehicle manufacturing, infrastructure, and innovation,” the government said in a statement.

According to the government, automakers representing nearly the entire U.S. auto market, such as Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co., have positioned around the goal of electrified vehicles accounting for 40 to 50 percent of total sales in 2030.

Japan’s Honda Motor Co., along with Germany’s BMW AG and some other companies, also said in a joint statement that they remain committed to “leading the industry in fighting against climate change” and they “support the administration’s goal of reaching an electric vehicle future.”

The Biden administration said the latest announcements will put the United States on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from new passenger vehicle sales by more than 60 percent in 2030 compared with vehicles sold last year.

In April, Biden vowed to achieve a 50-52 percent reduction of emissions from 2005 levels in 2030, making the U.S. commitment around twice as ambitious as earlier pledged under the Paris climate accord.

Cr. KYODO NEWS