Rather than promoting electric vehicles, the government should adopt “a diversified portfolio of approaches” in the transportation sector such as flex fuel vehicles, said three ethanol advocates on Monday. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge of the Minnesota rule that requires new-car dealers to bolster their stocks of hybrid and all-electric vehicles.
The so-called clean car rule would take effect next year. Minnesota was the first state to adopt California’s tailpipe emissions standard to combat global warming, reported the Star Tribune. The rule does not apply to sales of new cars already in the state or sales of used cars.
In comments filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ethanol proponents said the agency “should avoid putting all our eggs in the electrification basket” when it updates fuel efficiency standards. At the moment, raw materials for batteries are often imported, said the Renewable Fuels Association, National Corn Growers Association, and the National Farmers Union. “The country should plan ahead and build fuel diversity into the system now.”
The Biden administration has set a goal for electric vehicles to account for half of new vehicle sales in 2030.