Sioux Falls, SD – Today, President Joe Biden outlined a new national target for the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), calling for them to represent half of all new vehicle sales by 2030. American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings released the following statement in response:
“Pledges to make more electric vehicles in the future will do little to reduce GHG emissions until and unless the way we generate electricity in the U.S. undergoes expensive and prolonged changes. The environmental impacts, technical hurdles, and supply chain roadblocks for critical minerals needed for EV batteries also need to be understood and remedied before EVs could make meaningful reductions in GHGs.
“Meanwhile, nearly 100 percent of all U.S. light-duty vehicles on the road today use liquid fuels. Scientists indicate corn ethanol is already 50 percent cleaner than gasoline. If we want to get serious about tackling climate change sooner rather than later, government officials and automakers ought to be taking steps right now to help ensure motorists have greater access to low-carbon alternatives to gasoline such as E15 and E85. Each increased gallon of ethanol used in the U.S. today reduces GHGs and the Administration can take steps today through the Renewable Fuel Standard to push more ethanol into the marketplace.
“Earlier this year the Rhodium Group released a compelling report indicating even under the most aggressive sales projections, EVs alone will not accomplish the goal of President Biden and Congress to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Rhodium explained that increased reliance of clean fuels (and efficiency standards) will be needed to close the emissions gap. Ethanol is available right now as a clean and low cost fuel.”
