President Biden is expected to sign a presidential decree that by 2030, half of all new car sales will be electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles. His administration is also working on new in-store incentives to encourage buyers to go electric.

The Washington Post reports that this comes after months of talks with automakers, auto workers, and environmental groups. It is part of Biden's Build Back Better Agenda and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal to reduce emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030.

This is in line with the U.S. rejoining the Paris Agreement at the start of the Biden administration, reversing the Trump administration's withdrawal. The U.S. is currently the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China, with the transportation sector being the largest contributor, accounting for 29% of total emissions.

Biden's goal is lofty, but less ambitious than the European Union's proposed goal of banning new fossil fuel vehicles starting in 2035; EU legislation faces opposition from the auto and steel industries, and the United States is currently the only country in the world that has banned new fossil fuel vehicles.

According to a fact sheet released by the White House, the administration is working to "provide in-store incentives for consumers to promote U.S. manufacturing and union jobs." It does not elaborate on the extent of these incentives. However, the administration is working with Republican lawmakers to pass a federal EV tax credit as part of an infrastructure bill that is moving through Congress. While it remains to be seen whether the bill will pass, a $12,500 tax credit for EVs manufactured by union workers was passed through a Senate committee in May.

Curiously, the new goal of having half of all new cars sold in 2030 be zero-emission vehicles includes "battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell electric vehicles." Technically, plug-in hybrids are zero-emission in fully electric mode, but have evaporative emissions when the gasoline engine starts.

The Executive Order has been criticized by some groups and experts as potentially having loopholes and not being as in-depth as Obama-era policies.

"The proposal contains fewer carbon pollution reductions than the Obama-era standards and contains unfortunate loopholes that undermine progress," Simon Mui, deputy director for clean vehicles and fuels at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told The Post In an interview, he said.

"We are not going far enough because the incentives are not right," said Dr. David Rapson, professor of economics and director of the David Energy Economics Program at the University of California, Davis, in an e-mail interview with Tom's Guide. 'It's about driving fewer cars, driving fewer gasoline-powered cars, driving fewer fossil-fuel-powered EVs. We can accomplish these things by making cars more expensive, making gasoline more expensive, making electricity generated from coal and gas more expensive, and the EO [presidential decree] doesn't mention any of those things."

Further analysis by the Post shows that the Senate's $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill falls short of the expectations set by climate change activists and progressives. At this point, the Environment and Public Works Committee has allocated only $50 billion for clean air, clean water, emissions, and environmental justice.

Ford, GM, and Sterantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler) have signed on to a "shared desire" to have 40-50% of their annual U.S. sales come from some form of electrification, be it a full EV or plug-in hybrid. While not as ambitious as Biden's executive order, America's largest automaker is about to make a major shift.

Given that Tesla's stock is worth more than Ford and GM combined, despite producing a fraction of the number of cars, it suggests that Wall Street and consumers are bullish on the future of EVs. It is no surprise that all three companies are working on new EVs, including the Ford Mustang Mach E, Ford F-150 Lightning, Hummer EV, Chevrolet Silverado EV, and Jeep Magneto. Fiat, in fact, is trying to go all-electric by 2030.

"The automakers are trying to do what is in the best interest of the automakers," Dr. Rapson said. 'If the American people want EVs, the automakers will build them. If the American people want EVs, automakers will make EVs; if they want gasoline cars, they will make gasoline cars. But a dramatic change, like achieving 50% of EV sales by 2030, will require real consumer enthusiasm for EVs"

. [At this point, it is up to a bipartisan infrastructure bill that needs Republican support. The Senate is reluctant to repeal the filibuster, which would require 60 votes. This has pushed Biden's original multi-trillion dollar proposal down to $1 trillion. Thus, only $7.5 billion, half of what the Biden administration had sought, has been set aside for additional car chargers nationwide.

Also, according to Dr. Rapson, given the magnitude of the climate crisis, stronger measures are needed to move industry toward reducing emissions.

"Until we set a national price on carbon emissions, we are not taking the problem seriously enough."