NHTSA on a "one-way" route towards EV Future

The IL Corn Growers Association is calling on the agricultural industry to submit comments to the docket regarding a proposal released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). The goal would require an industry fleet-wide average of approximately 58 miles per gallon for cars and light duty trucks by model year 2032. It would also require a 10 percent increase in fuel efficiency for heavy-duty trucks and vans year over year.

The proposal would additionally decimate corn demand, costing American farmers nearly one-billion bushels of corn annually by 2033.

“Electric vehicles, in my opinion, are a great concept, but we’re not where we need to be yet,” said District 4 ICGA Board Member Cliff Lane. “A large truck hauling grain to the elevator is not really feasible at this point in time.”

The ambitious goal was included in NHTSA’s new proposal for Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards or CAFE standards. CAFE standards regulate how far passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks must travel on one gallon of fuel. The agency is also responsible for regulating fuel consumption standards for heavy duty trucks and engines.

The proposed fuel economy standards are written to complement and align with the Environmental Protection Agency’s recently proposed emissions standards for similar vehicle fleets. An analysis by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln reports when taking into account production technology and cash rental rates, the EPA’s proposal could decrease farmland value by up to 32%.

Can your family farm stand to lose one-billion bushels of corn annually?

Submit comments to the docket regarding NHTSA’s unfair proposal here. Want to learn more? Watch this video with ICGA Board member Cliff Lane as he shares how NHTSA’s goal would impact his family’s farm.