What’s in the EPA’s New Pollution Standards for Cars and Trucks?

The EPA's proposed 2023 tailpipe emission rules for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles aim to reduce greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants starting with model year 2027. While not banning internal combustion engines, the rules set average emission limits for manufacturers, which is expected to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) adoption. By 2032, the EPA projects EVs could reach 67% of new light-duty vehicle sales. Projected long-term benefits through 2055 include avoiding nearly 10 billion tons of CO2 emissions, reducing oil imports by 20 billion barrels, and providing $12,000 in lifetime savings per light-duty vehicle for consumers.

• The EPA's proposed rules, released on April 12, 2023, establish performance-based emission limits for greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants—including particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide—for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles starting with model year 2027.
• The regulations do not ban the sale or use of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, nor do they mandate emissions checks for drivers; instead, they require original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to ensure their new product lines do not exceed average tailpipe emission limits.
• The EPA anticipates the rules will drive electric vehicle (EV) adoption as a cost-effective compliance strategy, projecting that by 2032, EVs could account for 67% of new light-duty vehicle sales, 46% of new medium-duty vehicle sales, and 34% of new heavy-duty day cab tractors.
• The EPA projects significant long-term benefits through 2055, including the avoidance of nearly 10 billion tons of CO2 emissions, a reduction of oil imports by approximately 20 billion barrels, and total benefits exceeding costs by at least $1 trillion.
• Consumers are expected to see financial benefits through lower fuel and maintenance costs, with the EPA estimating an average saving of $12,000 over the lifetime of a light-duty vehicle compared to those not subject to the new standards.

APA

RMI (2023). What’s in the EPA’s New Pollution Standards for Cars and Trucks? https://rmi.org/resources/whats-in-the-epas-new-pollution-standards-for-cars-and-trucks/

Chicago

RMI. What’s in the EPA’s New Pollution Standards for Cars and Trucks? 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/whats-in-the-epas-new-pollution-standards-for-cars-and-trucks/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=What’s in the EPA’s New Pollution Standards for Cars and Trucks? |date=10 October 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/whats-in-the-epas-new-pollution-standards-for-cars-and-trucks/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023whats, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{What’s in the EPA’s New Pollution Standards for Cars and Trucks?}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/whats-in-the-epas-new-pollution-standards-for-cars-and-trucks/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }