E.P.A. He is said to be proposing rules intended to boost electric car sales tenfold

In what would be the most ambitious climate regulation in the country, the proposal is designed to ensure that electric cars account for the majority of new car sales in United States by 2032.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is planning some of the toughest auto pollution limits in the world, designed to ensure that all-electric cars account for up to 67% of new passenger vehicles sold in the country by 2032, according to two people familiar with the matter.

This would represent a leap forward for United States, where only 5.8% of vehicles sold last year were fully electric - and would exceed President Biden's earlier ambitions to have fully electric cars make up half of those sold in the country of by 2030.

It would be the federal government's most aggressive climate regulation and put the United States at the forefront of the global effort to reduce greenhouse gases emissions generated by cars, one of the main drivers of climate change. The European Union has already adopted vehicle emissions standards that are expected to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. Canada and Britain have proposed standards similar to the European model.

At the same time, the proposed regulation would pose a significant challenge to automakers. Almost every major auto company has already invested heavily in electric vehicles, but few have committed to the levels envisioned by the Biden administration. And many have faced supply chain issues that have delayed production. Even manufacturers who are enthusiastic about electric models don't know if consumers will buy enough of them to make up the majority of new car sales within a decade.

The action of the E.P.A. is likely to give comfort to climate activists, who are angry at the Biden administration's recent decision to approve a huge oil drilling project on federal lands in Alaska. Some in the administration say accelerating the transition to renewable energy, with most Americans driving electric vehicles, would reduce demand for oil drilled in Alaska or elsewhere.

Michael S. Regan, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is expected to announce proposed limits on tailpipe emissions Wednesday in Detroit. The requirements would be intended to ensure that electric cars represent between 54 and 60 percent of all new cars sold in the United States by 2030, with that figure increasing to 64 to 67 percent of new car sales by 2032, according to those familiar with the details, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been made public.

Rapidly Accelerating Electric Vehicle Adoption in the United States would require other significant changes, including building millions of new electric vehicle charging stations, overhauling power grids to meet the energy needs of those chargers, and securing supplies of minerals and other materials. needed for the batteries.

The proposed regulations, which would go through a period of public consultation and could be amended by the government before becoming final, are sure to face to legal challenges. It could also become an issue in the 2024 presidential campaign, as a future administration could undo or weaken it.

"It's a colossal undertaking" , said John Bozzella, President. of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major US and foreign automakers. "It is nothing less than a complete transformation of the automotive industrial base and the automotive market."

In a statement released Friday evening, Maria Michalos, carries -word of the E.P.A. , did not confirm the new goals, but said the agency was working on new standards as directed by the president to "accelerate the transition to a zero-emissions transportation future, protecting people and the planet." /p>

The new regulations would come on the heels of the Cut Inflation Act of 2022, which helped boost demand for electric vehicles...