US pick-ups eligible for ‘thoughts and prayers’ to meet Australia’s new emissions rules

Australia’s alignment to US fuel-efficiency standards will enable big pick-ups to access an emissions credit loophole already used to address other community issues in North America.

Further details of the controversial plan to ease upcoming Australian emissions standards for US pick-ups have been announced, following last week’s confirmation of less stringent targets for smaller utes and vans.

The revisions to the rules, modelled off similar emissions standards used in the US, saw many large four-wheel-drive wagons reclassified as light-commercial vehicles, and subject to higher CO2 limits than smaller passenger cars.

Vehicles that don’t meet the new guidelines, which gradually become more stringent between 2025 and 2029, are subject to a penalty of $100 per gram of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted beyond the threshold – while vehicles that beat the targets are subject to a credits.

These credits may be traded by manufacturers to offset fines applied to certain vehicles.

As the scheme is based on emissions standards used by the US, further detail has emerged today that will see US-built vehicles – including pick-ups such as the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Ram 1500 and Toyota Tundra – subject to a bonus credit system widely used in the US to offset other cultural penalties.

Under this appendix to the rules – agreed to as part of the AUKUS nuclear submarine contract – every sale of a new US pick-up can be associated with a commitment of ‘thoughts and prayers’ to the environment, equivalent to the emissions levy applied under the Australian scheme.

This will see the majority of large pickups treated with a zero-sum emissions penalty, where the hybrid Toyota Tundra will even attract a credit position – recognising it as a ‘green’ vehicle – allowing it to offset vehicles such as the LandCruiser 70 Series V8.

Announcing the program, Mike Raffone, Director of the Strategic Commission of American Manufacturers, said in a media statement:

“The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard sees Australia join the rest of the world in a commitment to lower vehicle emissions, and we’re thrilled to see that the method Americans have been using for decades to combat other significant community issues now able to be used here as well.”

The message of ’thoughts and prayers’ need only be posted to a social media account associated with the sale of the vehicle to receive the credit.

Mr Raffone was unable to provide or substantiate any significant data associated with the application of the credit method in the US, but assured Drive that it worked.

He said any more tangible approaches to managing cultural issues would be unconstitutional and negatively impact key voting communities, and that no further analysis was warranted.

Drive understands further details of the concessions for US pick-ups will be announced at 12:00pm AEDT today.

What cars are built in the US?

Eight manufacturers build cars in the US for the Australian market, with the appendix scheme applicable to all vehicles that fall under the 2025 New Vehicle Efficiency Standard emissions guidelines.

Make Model
BMW X3 / X4 / X5 / X6 / X7 / XM
Chevrolet Silverado / Corvette
Ford F-150 / Mustang
Jeep Gladiator / Wrangler / Grand Cherokee
Mercedes-Benz GLE / GLS / EQE SUV
Nissan Pathfinder
Ram 1500
Toyota Kluger / Tundra

The post US pick-ups eligible for ‘thoughts and prayers’ to meet Australia’s new emissions rules appeared first on Drive.

Komentar

Posting Komentar

Postingan populer dari blog ini

Teacher accused of using rented Toyota Supra for land-speed record attempt

Gambar
A high-school teacher in the US could be more than $6000 out of pocket if he is found to have violated the terms of use of a rented Toyota Supra driven to a top speed record. A US high school teacher is facing legal action – and $US4000 ($AU6000) in costs – after being accused of renting a turbocharged Toyota Supra performance coupe from a car-sharing service and used the vehicle in a racing competition without the owner’s knowledge. The high-school teacher from Indiana – and his team of female mechanic students – were on their way to compete in the 2023 U.S. Mile land-speed trials in Texas last month. The girls and their teacher had built a high-performance Chevrolet S10 pick-up for the ‘Texas Mile’ – a competition which sees vehicles try to achieve the highest possible speed from a standing start within one-mile (1.6km) on a runway. However, the 1997 Chevrolet S-10 ute suffered a mechanical failure on the way to the event. Due to the hard work put in to make the 1800km j...
Baca selengkapnya

2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport imagined with this artist impression

Gambar
The new flagship of the Toyota HiLux range was caught on camera in Thailand late last year wearing little disguise. Now we have created an artist impression of what it could look like. Last month we got our first look at a camouflaged version of the 2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport , the flagship ute set to replace the range-topping Toyota HiLux Rugged X in Australian showrooms later this year. Now we have an artist impression of the 2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport (pictured above) that aims to remove some of the camouflage of the test vehicle caught on camera in Thailand mid-December 2022. As previously reported, although other versions of the Toyota HiLux GR Sport have been launched in Europe, South Africa and Japan over the past year or so, the 2023 edition appears to be the most aggressive yet. The latest Toyota HiLux GR Sport is set to come to Australia for the first time, though timing of the international unveiling and showroom arrivals are yet to be announced. A series ...
Baca selengkapnya

2023 LDV T60 Max price and specs: Prices up by more than $4000

Gambar
The LDV T60 has been hit with its second major price rise in 12 months to account for new equipment – but the ute still lacks key advanced safety tech. 2023 LDV T60 Max pricing and specifications New equipment for Pro and Luxe grades Only top 10 dual-cab ute without auto emergency braking Priced from $38,990 drive-away for ABN holders 2023 LDV T60 Max Luxe The updated 2023 LDV T60 Max has arrived in Australia with a $4000 price rise and some equipment upgrades – but it still lacks advanced safety technology which is standard in its rivals. LDV Australia has announced the T60 Max 4×4 ute has undergone a handful of tweaks for 2023 after its major facelift (and $5000 price hike) last year – resulting in a price increase of $4000 across the range for buyers with an ABN. But Australia’s ninth best-selling ute continues to forgo advanced safety tech such as forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring and autonomous emergency braking – making the T60 the the only du...
Baca selengkapnya