FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Austin, TX – A new report published by the American Energy Institute reveals the hidden economic consequences of federal electric vehicle (EV) emissions mandates. Titled “Behind the Wheel: The Hidden Hands Driving the EV Mandate,” the research exposes how federal fuel economy regulations and related mandates are artificially propping up EV production—while quietly transferring the cost burden to gasoline vehicle buyers, taxpayers, and electricity ratepayers.
The study documents how federal policies—particularly the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and the use of EV “multipliers” in emissions accounting—are distorting the vehicle market. These mandates are effectively forcing automakers to overproduce EVs, even as consumer demand remains soft, and passing billions of dollars in regulatory costs onto everyday Americans.
“This research highlights how federal fuel economy regulations are forcing U.S. automakers to build EVs and pass along tens of billions in costs every year to gasoline vehicle buyers,” says Dr. Brent Bennett, coauthor of the study and Policy Director for Life:Powered at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “The Trump administration can fix this problem immediately by revising the fuel economy standards to levels that are physically achievable for gas vehicles, as required by law, and by ending the illegal fuel economy multiplier for EVs.”
In addition to burdening gas-powered vehicle owners, the mandates are also driving up electricity infrastructure costs that are ultimately borne by ratepayers—many of whom do not own or plan to own an EV.
“This is central planning by stealth,” said Jason Isaac, coauthor of the report and CEO of the American Energy Institute. “Deep State bureaucrats are implementing policies that inflate the price of gas-powered cars and force working families to subsidize electric vehicles they don’t want and can’t afford—both at the dealership and on their electric bills. These mandates shift costs and choices away from the consumer and into the hands of government planners.”
The authors call for an immediate rollback of the federal EV multiplier and a return to lawful, transparent, and market-based standards that reflect real-world performance and consumer preferences.
🏛️ The Executive Summary with policy recommendations
The full report is available here: 🔗 Behind the Wheel: The Hidden Hands Driving the EV Mandate (PDF)
Media coverage of the research can be found at: 📰 Fox News – New research reveals how EV emissions mandates are inflating costs