Experts assembled to discuss the interrelation between regulations and emissions during the annual conference of the Motor and Equipment Manufacturer Association (MEMA), suggested regulations determine how OEMs approach development of electric vehicles.
As reported on Fleetowner.com, an Endeavor Business Media sibling publication, the panel included Dan Nicholson, VP of strategic technology initiatives at General Motors; Sandy Stojkovski, CEO NA, Vitesco Technologies; and Ann Wilson, SVP government affairs at MEMA.
Read also: What's inside the Ford Lightning electric pickup truck?
Wilson said that even though manufacturers are using current regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation, those regulations have not been finalized. Once they are, she suggests, manufacturers will proceed accordingly. As an example, Wilson highlighted the tax incentives available for purchasing EVs made with materials sourced in the U.S.
Nicholson said a concern for OEMs is the lack of “harmonization” of standards across agencies, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The panel also discussed consumer demand for EVs.
“Look at the regulations themselves, they certainly drive us there,” Stojkovski said. “But there’s a lot of things that have to go right with the consumers and with the infrastructure.”
Nicholson said consumer demand for EVs may be greater in general, but they will not compromise on performance. “If they want a pickup truck, they want a pickup truck, and they’re not going to buy an EV just to buy an EV,” Nicholson said.
The article referenced in this story originally ran as How Regulations affect the EV transition on FleetOwner.com, an Endeavor Business Media sibling site.
