Bill introduced to correct electric vehicle efficiency calculations

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On June 11, a group of Republican senators introduced legislation to correct efficiency calculations on electric vehicles.

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, was joined by U.S. Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Mike Lee (R-UT), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) in introducing the Recalculating Electric Vehicle Efficiency for Accuracy and Legitimacy (REVEAL) Act. The bill would require the U.S. Secretary of Energy to use more accurate criteria when evaluating electric vehicle for their “petroleum-equivalent average fuel economy,” a figure used by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to set Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards for automakers.

The senators said the bill would prevent the Energy Secretary from manipulating the calculations in order create an EV manufacturing mandate through a back-door.

“No administration should be able to rig efficiency calculations for electric cars,” Barrasso said. “The REVEAL Act would prevent the Secretary of Energy from using these faulty calculations to prohibit the sale of gas or diesel powered cars or trucks. This is a needed step to help fight against the Biden administration’s continued manipulation of the auto market and put Americans back in the driver’s seat.”

The legislation would require the Energy Secretary to ensure that the weight and class of EVs are comparable to gasoline and diesel-fueled vehicles when making EV fuel economy calculations, and to consider the need to conserve critical mineral used in EV batteries and vehicles, as well as the impact of extreme temperatures and battery degradation on efficiency ratings. Additionally, the legislation would require the Energy Secretary to coordinate with the Transportation Secretary to ensure the fuel economy for EVs is calculated with methods used to calculate efficiency in amended CAFÉ standards.

“If this administration wants to erode consumer choice and force EVs on the people of Wyoming, then the Department of Energy needs to hold these vehicles to the same standards as their gas-powered counterparts,” Lummis said. “The benefits of EVs appear illusionary at best, and our bill forces this administration to be transparent by compelling the DOE to more accurately measure the relative efficiency of EVs so the Biden administration can no longer hide behind its unsubstantiated environmental platitudes.”