Americans had become acutely aware of environmental damage post-war, primarily through the smog hanging over many major cities, and so it became a key issue in the 1968 US presidential election.
That was won by Republican Richard Nixon, who said in his 1970 state of the union address: "The automobile is our worst polluter of the air. Adequate control requires further advances in engine design and fuel composition.
We shall intensify our research, set increasingly strict standards and strengthen enforcement procedures, and we shall do it now." Two months later, an astonishing 20 million Americans came out in protest on the inaugural Earth Day.
That December, Nixon signed into federal law a Democrat's bill, the Clean Air Act, and created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enforce its requirements.
Already makers were required to cut emissions by 70% from 1967 (these limits set by California) to 1970, and yet the new bill required a 90% reduction in hydrocarbons to 0.41g/mi and in carbon monoxide to 3.4g/mi by 1975, and to 0.41g/mi of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 1976.
The required technology didn't yet exist, but that was the point: regulation to spark innovation.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 17, 2024-Ausgabe von Autocar UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 17, 2024-Ausgabe von Autocar UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Rolls enters an era of expansion
New CEO predicts exciting future’ as factory gets extra capacity for personalisation
VW Polo gets five more years after dodging emissions bullet
THE VOLKSWAGEN POLO could be on sale for another five years, having been given a stay of execution by the relaxation of upcoming EU emissions legislation.
AUDI SQ8 E-TRON SPORTBACK
Four-up, luggage-laden, long-haul drives reveal its true colours
MERCEDES-AMG G63
Off-roader turned madcap performance car is given-shock! -hybrid technology
EX90 showcases Volvo's future
UK-bound, \"software-defined\" flagship SUV is a \"big step towards zero collisions\"
An Autocar Great Woman of a century ago
AUTOCAR RECENTLY HONOURED the female high-fliers of the British automotive industry at our annual Great Women awards ceremony.
VOLVO V90
Our resident estate fangirl asks an SUV-buying friend to explain herself
NEW WORLD ORDER
Audi is a past master of slick electric SUVs while Lotus is a class rookie. Can the new Eletre compete alongside the SQ8 E-tron? Matt Saunders decides
TURNED OUT NICE AGAIN
Cars have got bigger, heavier and more expensive in the electric era. Helpfully, this faithful recreation of the old Mini reverses two of those trends. Matt Prior drives it
Used EVS plummet to ICE price
Average two-to four-year-old EV now worth £16k while equivalent diesel is £18k