A congressionally-mandated report published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) assessed various technologies and highlighted the opportunity to improve the fuel economy of light-duty vehicles (LDVs) through increased use of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) over the period of 2025-2035. Various vehicle technologies–electric, hybrid, internal combustion engine, fuel cell, non-powertrain, connected, and automated–were investigated in terms of costs, capabilities, as well as impacts of changes in consumer behavior and regulations.
Some highlights and recommendations from the study were that:
- ZEVs represent the long-term future of energy efficiency and petroleum reduction
- To overcome consumer resistance to novel technologies, policy interventions beyond purchase subsidies may be needed, including investment in charging and refueling infrastructure, or consumer education and exposure to new technologies and their benefits
- Congress should define long-term goals for the corporate average fuel efficiency program and should set a technology-neutral goal of net-zero LDV greenhouse gas emissions by a specified date
- The Executive Branch should create an inter-agency task force with entities including the United States Departments of Transportation, Energy, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, along with the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House
More details may also be found in a briefing by the National Academies.