Electric power and auto groups propose adding EVs to federal rulemaking notice

A request for comments in an upcoming federal rulemaking case specifically should allow for remarks related to electric transportation, say the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the American Public Power Association (APPA), and several automotive and other partners advocating for the nationwide deployment of electric vehicles (EVs).

The associations are referring to a joint Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) recently announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Once published, the NPRM will seek comments on a range of proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) standards for light-duty vehicles.

EEI, APPA, along with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers want EVs to be part of the conversation.

In a May 22 letter sent to U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, the associations requested that the EPA and NHTSA take comments in the upcoming proposal “on the inclusion of a suite of flexibilities that focus on technology adoption and allow automakers and states to maximize the benefits of increased electric transportation.”

Such flexibilities, they wrote, will further the deployment of EVs and other advanced vehicles, provide GHG reductions, and maintain a single national program for fuel economy and GHG standards.

“Increasing the effectiveness of these flexibilities will further encourage manufacturers to continue investment in innovative technologies that have experienced broad market adoption headwinds,” according to their letter. “We believe these flexibilities will further EV commercialization and GHG reductions.”

The associations also pointed out how the alignment over clean energy by the American power and automaker industries should be impetus for the federal government to increase CAFE and GHG emission stringency that requires an increasing shift toward EVs.

For instance, the auto industry has invested billions of dollars on powertrain research and development to provide customers with record-breaking choices for fuel-efficient vehicles, wrote the associations, adding that more than 490 models currently are on sale that achieve at least 30 miles per gallon.

“EVs, in particular, play an important role in achieving energy and environment goals for each of our industries,” they wrote. “Many of EEI’s, APPA’s, and NRECA’s members also are actively involved in the development of the regulations, financial incentives, and infrastructure for commercial deployment of EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs.”

At the same time, they wrote, the electric power sector is transitioning its generating fleet due to several factors — including customer demands, technology developments, and federal and state regulatory obligations.

“Concurrent with this transition, electric companies are making significant investments to make the energy grid smarter, cleaner, more dynamic, more flexible, and more secure in order to integrate and deliver a balanced mix of resources from both central and distributed energy resources to customers,” the associations said.

As the regulatory environment pushes toward electric transportation, both in the United States and around the world, the associations wrote, they “believe that EVs can play an important part of the range of technologies and measures needed to reduce reliance on imported fuels, maintain a balanced energy mix, and reduce GHG and other emissions.”

Likewise, they noted, as electric power sector emissions have decreased and are on a long-term trajectory toward further reductions, increased EV deployment also will decrease overall GHG and criteria pollutant emissions.

“The resulting reductions in GHG and criteria pollutant emissions from electricity generation will allow increased EV deployment to create additional environmental benefits through utilization of lower emissions intensity electric sector power sources,” wrote the associations.