Washington (United States) (AFP) – President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday finalized its rollback of US fuel economy standards that were meant to spur the transition towards electric vehicles and reduce planet-warming emissions from transport, the country’s biggest source of greenhouse gases.

The new standards require a fleet average fuel economy of 34.9 miles per gallon (6.74 liters per 100 kilometers) by model year 2031 – a figure that the rule’s own data shows was already achieved two years ago.

“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we have finally ended the illegal mandate that forced automakers to produce more expensive electric vehicles that American families didn’t want,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.

The statement said the rule change would reduce the average cost of new vehicles by $1,300, save $138 billion over the next five years, and “prevent more than 300,000 serious injuries and save 1,900 lives by encouraging new car sales.”

The change was hailed by Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a lobby group that includes Detroit and international carmakers.

“The standards finalized under the previous administration effectively required a switchover to electric vehicles that was out of step with market realities and customer demand. Today’s final rule is an appropriate course correction,” said John Bozzella, the group’s president and CEO.

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