The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized its rule on planet-warming emissions from passenger cars and light trucks Wednesday. In what’s considered Biden’s biggest climate move yet, The Washington Post reports the rule “would require automakers to ramp up sales of electric vehicles while slashing carbon emissions from gasoline-powered models, which account for about one-fifth of America’s contribution to global warming.” Electric cars have never been cheaper.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, commentary and analysis. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations Specialists Shannon Mitchell at shannon [dot] mitchell
gwu [dot] edu (shannon[dot]mitchell[at]gwu[dot]edu) and Cate Douglass at cdouglassgwu [dot] edu (cdouglass[at]gwu[dot]edu).
Robert Glicksman, the J.B. and Maurice C Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law at the George Washington University. Glicksman is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on environmental, natural resources, and administrative law issues. Glicksman’s areas of expertise include environmental and natural resources law, along with others. Glicksman has consulted on various environmental and natural resources law issues, including work for the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.
Glicksman has published and authored numerous publications, including his most recent highlight in The Green Clash Between Renewables and Conservations.
John Helveston is an assistant professor of engineering management and systems engineering at the George Washington University. Helveston is interested in understanding the factors that shape technological change, with a particular focus on transitioning to more sustainable and energy-saving technologies. Within this broader category, he studies consumer preferences and market demand for new technologies as well as relationships between innovation, industry structure, and technology policy. He has explored these themes in the context of China’s rapidly developing electric vehicle industry.
Helveston recently published research on electric vehicle (EV) mileage in the journal Joule. In one of the largest studies to date, Helveston and his co-authors found the current generation of EV owners drive far fewer miles than owners of gas vehicles, translating to lower emissions savings from EVs.
Helveston says this recent study is relevant to the EPA’s rulings as the research showed EVs are driven less than gasoline cars, which translates into lower environmental savings than EPA estimates. What that means in practice, Helveston explains, is that if EVs are driven less than gasoline cars, then each EV has a lower benefit over gas cars. Therefore, gas cars will need to have even tighter fuel economy standards to keep total emissions below a threshold.
If you would like to speak with Prof. Helveston, please contact GW Senior Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at cdouglassgwu [dot] edu (cdouglass[at]gwu[dot]edu).
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