The U.S. Transportation Department finalized a major rollback of federal
fuel-economy rules, setting a passenger car and light-truck fleet average of
34.9 mpg for the 2031 model year — well below the Biden administration's roughly
50 mpg target. The rule withdraws a policy that had compelled automakers to
raise efficiency and expand battery-electric vehicle sales, weakening federal
support for EV adoption; Transportation Secretary Duffy said the change is
intended to lower new-car prices, and President Trump criticized the prior rules
as an unaffordable EV mandate.
