The Gasoline Cars (And EVs) The US Government Doesn't Want You to Buy

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Because U.S. annual greenhouse gas emissions are so massive and made up largely by vehicle pollution, even small changes to the U.S. transportation sector can go a long way towards emissions reduction targets.

Nearly 30% of the over 6,000 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emitted by the U.S. in 2021 came from the transportation sector, the largest share of any sector followed by electricity production with 25% — according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The vast majority (over 94%) of fuel used for transportation in the United States comes from burning fossil fuels.

Promoting new electric vehicles for personal use is one of the primary elements of the U.S. long-term strategy, “Pathways to Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emission by 2050.” Government officials state zero-emission vehicles will need to dominate new sales for most types of vehicles by the early 2030s if emissions targets are going to be met.

With widespread adoption over the next 10 years, EPA air quality emissions standards for vehicles could help avoid approximately 40,000 premature deaths, 34,000 hospitalizations, and 4.8 million work days lost every year.

How will these goals be met? For starters, before buying a new vehicle, consumers may consider the EPA’s “Smartway” certification released annually for every model year, with guides available for all model years between 2000 and 2024. There are no federal regulations prohibiting manufacture of gas-power or any other type of vehicle, although nine states have released plans to ban sales of gasoline cars after 2035.

Out of the 1,713 vehicles in the 2024 model year the EPA reviewed for environmental performance, 1,395 failed to be certified according to the “SmartWay” criteria at the federal level. Of the 252 model versions receiving the “elite” level certification, none are gasoline vehicles.

The EPA’s certification means the vehicle is among the more environmentally friendly on the new car market.

electric cars US gov doesn’t want you to buy

Model	Engine displacement (liters)	Cylinders	Transmission	Drive	Air Pollution Score (1-10)	City MPG	Hwy MPG	Cmb MPG	Greenhouse Gas Score (1-10)	CO2 emissions (g/km)
BMW XM	4.4	8	SemiAuto-8	4WD	7	12/46	17/46	14/46	7	244
FERRARI SF90 Spider	3.9	8	AutoMan-8	4WD	3	16/42	19/46	17/44	4	414
FERRARI F173 HFC	3.9	8	AutoMan-8	4WD	5	16/45	19/44	17/45	4	415
FERRARI F173 HGC	3.9	8	AutoMan-8	4WD	5	16/45	19/44	17/45	4	415
FERRARI 296 GTB	2.9	6	AMS-8	2WD	6	16/45	22/49	18/47	5	398
FERRARI 296 GTS	2.9	6	AMS-8	2WD	6	16/48	22/48	18/48	5	403
FERRARI SF90 Stradale	3.9	8	AutoMan-8	4WD	3	16/51	20/51	18/51	5	403
JEEP Wrangler 4xe	2	4	Auto-8	4WD	7	20/52	20/45	20/49	7	230
ALFA ROMEO Tonale eAWD	1.3	4	Auto-6	4WD	6	29/77	29/77	29/77	9	120
DODGE Hornet PHEV AWD	1.3	4	Auto-6	4WD	6	29/77	29/77	29/77	9	120