MotorVehicleRegs.COM

CARB ACC 2 Regulation

On April 12, 2022, CARB issued a notice announcing that the Board will conduct a public hearing on June 9, 2022 to consider the proposed Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) rulemaking.  The ACC 2 rule proposes that manufacturers be required to deliver for sale increasing percentages of ZEVs and PHEVs as a portion of their overall product deliveries between model years 2026 and 2034 and reach 100-percent ZEVs in 2035 (and after). The Notice, ISOR, and all subsequent regulatory documents are available on CARB's ACC 2 rulemaking webpage.  Comments are due May 31.

Executive Order on Strengthening American Leadership in Clean Cars and Trucks

On August 5, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Oder that outlines a target to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles.  The Executive Order lays out an aggressive schedule for development of fuel efficiency and multi-pollutant emissions standards through model year 2030 for light-duty vehicles and for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles starting as early as model year 2027.  

Specifically, the EO directs EPA to do the following:

• Establish a rule to establish new multi-pollutant emissions standards, including for greenhouse gas emissions, for light- and medium-duty vehicles beginning with model year 2027 and extending through and including at least model year 2030. 
• To begin working on a rulemaking to establish new oxides of nitrogen standards for heavy-duty engines and vehicles beginning with model year 2027 and extending through and including at least model year 2030. 
• To consider updating the existing greenhouse gas emissions standards for heavy-duty engines and vehicles beginning with model year 2027 and extending through and including at least model year 2029.
• To consider beginning work on a rulemaking to establish new greenhouse gas emissions standards for heavy-duty engines and vehicles to begin as soon as model year 2030.

It directs DOT to:

• to establish new fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light-duty trucks beginning with model year 2027 and extending through and including at least model year 2030.
• begin work on a rulemaking under EISA to establish new fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans beginning with model year 2028 and extending through and including at least model year 2030.
• To consider beginning work on a rulemaking under EISA to establish new fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty engines and vehicles to begin as soon as model year 2030.

The EO directs the EPA to establish the new light vehicle standards for 2027-2030 by the end of 2022 and it gives the agencies until July of 2024 to establish the heavy duty standards discussed in the EO.

US EPA GHG NPRM

On Aug. 10, 2021, EPA will publish a notice in the Federal Register containing a proposal to revise the GHG standards to be more stringent than the SAFE rule standards in each model year from 2023 through 2026. EPA is also proposing to include several flexibilities to incentivize the production and sale of vehicles with zero and near-zero emissions technology to reduce compliance costs and to address the lead time of the proposed standards.

Written comments are due September 27, 2021.

A public hearing was announced in a separate notice.  The hearing was held Aug. 25.

Docket reference: EPA-HQ-OAR-2021- 0208

EPA contact: Tad Wysor, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Assessment and Standards Division (ASD), Environmental Protection Agency, 2000 Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; telephone number: (734) 214-4332; email address: [email protected].

An advance copy of the notice is available at https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2021-16582.pdf.

 

EPA 2020 Automotive Trends Report

This week, EPA released it 2020 Automotive Trends Report which is the agency’s annual report that provides the public with information about new light-duty vehicle GHG emissions, fuel economy, technology data, and auto manufacturers' performance in meeting the agency’s GHG emissions standards.  The report, executive summary, and links to detailed downloadable data are available here.

Regulatory and Legislative Tracking Reports for Vehicle Manufacturers and Suppliers

Since 1999, Kardos & Associates LLC has supplied the auto industry with the most comprehensive regulatory and legislative tracking reports available. We currently offer clients the following:

Motor Vehicle Safety & Emissions Regulatory Update (the REG UPDATE)

The REG UPDATE has been tracking US and Canadian regulatory activity impacting the auto industry for over twenty years. Regulations developed by the NHTSA, FMCSA, EPA, FCC, CARB, Transport Canada, and Environment Canada are the focus. For each rulemaking, the Reg Update provides a description of the rulemaking, comment deadlines, effective dates, a docket reference, and links to documents available online. Deadlines and critical path items are color-coded so that you can quickly identify what’s new and important. In addition to being an excellent tool for tracking regulatory activity, the Reg Update is a great archive of past actions. The report contains information on virtually every rulemaking affecting automakers from the past two decades. Approximately 400 pages in length.

U.S. Safety & Fuel Economy Regulatory & Legislative Update
The U.S. Safety & Fuel Economy Regulatory & Legislative Update provides a snapshot of the past month’s legislative and regulatory activities relating to safety, emissions and fuel economy. The report provides brief summaries of notices issued by DOT, EPA, CARB and others. With regard to federal legislation, the report covers newly introduced bills, information on committee hearings, etc. Activities at the state level pertaining to emerging technologies (e.g., automated vehicles, advance driver assistance systems, EVs and EV infrastructure, etc.) are also covered.

Federal Legislation Tracking Report
Our legislative tracking report focuses on matters relating to environment and energy, safety and fuel economy/climate change. The report covers two years-worth of bills (the length of each Congressional session) and includes summaries and status updates for each tracked bill. Links to bill text and related information are provided.

All of our reports are distributed monthly via email as a PDF. Subscribers also get access to an online archive of past reports.

For pricing, contact Dale Kardos at (202) 3064997 or [email protected]. For more information about Kardos & Associates LLC, see www.kardosllc.com.

For a PDF of this information, click here.

EPA Heavy Duty Engine Test Procedures NPRM

On May 12, 2020, the EPA published an NPRM in the Federal Register proposing changes to the test procedures for heavy-duty engines and vehicles to improve accuracy and reduce testing burden.  In the NPRM, EPA also proposes other regulatory amendments concerning light-duty vehicles, heavy-duty vehicles, highway motorcycles, locomotives, marine engines, other nonroad engines and vehicles, stationary engines. These would affect the certification procedures for exhaust emission standards, and related requirements. EPA is proposing similar amendments for evaporative emission standards for nonroad equipment and portable fuel containers. These amendments would increase compliance flexibility, harmonize with other requirements, add clarity, correct errors, and streamline the regulations. 

Products affected by the rulemaking include:

• Light-duty vehicles
• Heavy-duty vehicles and engines
• Motorcycles (highway and nonroad)
• Marine engines
• Locomotives
• Other nonroad engines and equipment
• Stationary engines
• Portable fuel containers

Comments on the NPRM will be due June 26, 2020.

Docket reference: EPA–HQ–OAR-2019-0307.

EPA contact: Alan Stout, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Assessment and Standards Division, Environmental Protection Agency, 2000 Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; telephone number: (734) 214-4805; email address: [email protected].

SAFE 2 Final Rule

On March 31, 2020, the SAFE 2 joint final rule was issued by EPA and NHTSA.  Per the final rule, the CAFE and CO2 emissions standards will increase in stringency at 1.5 percent per year from MY 2020 levels over MYs 2021-2026.  Under the old rule, the standards would have increased 5% per year.  Per the rule, EPA’s standards are projected to require, on an average industry fleet-wide basis, 201 grams per mile (g/mi) of CO2 in model year 2030, while NHTSA’s standards are projected to require, on an average industry fleet-wide basis, 40.5 miles per gallon (mpg) in model year 2030.  Some important incentives for electrification are being eliminated. Compliance multipliers for BEVs and PHEVs were not extended as requested by automakers; the last year for these incentives remains MY 2021. Incentive credits for strong hybrid pickup trucks and for pickup trucks with significant over-compliance is discontinued after MY 2021 (was MY 2025). Conversely, dedicated and dual-fuel natural gas vehicles receive a new 2x compliance multiplier starting MY22.

A copy of the final rule and associated documents can be found here.

Docket ref: NHTSA-2018-0067; EPA-HQ-OAR-2018-0283.

Cleaner Trucks Initiative (CTI) ANPRM

On Jan. 21, 2020, the US EPA published an ANPRM in the Federal Register requesting comments on potential regulatory measures that would reduce emissions from heavy vehicles.  Topics covered in the ANPRM include the following:

- emission control technologies for reducing NOx

- standards and test cycles

- in-use emission standards

- extended regulatory useful life

- ensuring long-term in-use emissions performance

- certification and compliance streamlining

- incentives for early emission reductions

An EPA summary document is available here.

The EPA website for the rulemaking is available here.

Docket reference: EPA–HQ–OAR–2019–0055

Comments are due Feb. 20, 2020.

CARB and Canada agreement to advance cleaner vehicles and fuels

On June 26, 2019, CARB issued a press release announcing that Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, and the Chair of the California Air Resources Board, Mary Nichols signed a new cooperation agreement to advance cleaner vehicles and fuels.

The Memorandum of Understanding commits both governments to work together on developing their respective regulations to cut greenhouse gas emissions from light-duty vehicles, such as those currently in effect in Canada, California and the 13 U.S. states that have adopted California’s standards.  Canada is currently reviewing its light-duty vehicle standards to help make sure people can drive fuel-efficient cars that cut pollution and reduce fuel costs.

The partnership will also see Canada and California work together to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles like electric cars.

The two jurisdictions will also share technical information and best practices in regulating cleaner fuels, as California does today though its Low-Carbon Fuel Standard.

The cooperation will take a variety of forms, including establishing a working group that meets annually, sharing policy information and program design, providing capacity building and technical support, exchanges of personnel, cooperative research and development, and joint organization of symposia and trainings. The two regulatory agencies will also work together on emissions testing and enforcement of vehicle regulations.

For a copy of the press release, click here.

Tier 3 Emissions Final Rule

On March 3, 2014, EPA released its Tier 3 emissions rule.

Several fact sheets on the rule are available as follows:

• EPA Sets Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards (PDF)(5 pp, 172K, EPA-420-F-14-009, March 2014)
• EPA Sets Tier 3 Tailpipe and Evaporative Emission and Vehicle Fuel Standards (PDF) (5 pp, 176K, EPA-420-F-14-008, March 2014)
• Tier 3 Gasoline Sulfur Standard’s Impact on Gasoline Refining (PDF) (4 pp, 171K, EPA-420-F-14-007, March 2014)
• EPA Sets Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards, Strengthens Clean Cars Program (PDF) (2 pp, 140K, EPA-420-F-14-010, March 2014)

The final rule, RIA and summary and analysis of comments are available here:

• Final Rulemaking (PDF) (1118 pp, 7.0MB, signed March 3, 2014)
• Regulatory Impact Analysis (PDF) (619 pp, 19MB, EPA-420-R-14-005, February 2014)
• Summary and Analysis of Comments (PDF) (982 pp, 6.0MB, EPA-420-R-14-004, February 2014).