The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on July 3 that General Motors (GM) has agreed to retire approximately 50 million metric tons of greenhouse gas credits. This decision follows an EPA investigation which identified excess CO2 emissions from around 5.9 million GM vehicles, spanning model years 2012-2018.
EPA light-duty vehicle standards are designed to ensure that vehicles conform to the emissions performance asserted by manufacturers during the certification process. Automakers must test vehicles after one year and again at four years, submitting those results to the EPA. The EPA also conducts its own tests to verify compliance with emissions standards. Tests conducted by both the EPA and GM revealed that GM vehicles were emitting over 10 percent more CO2 on average than initially reported in GM’s greenhouse gas compliance reports.
“EPA’s vehicle standards depend on strong oversight in order to deliver public health benefits in the real world,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Our investigation has achieved accountability and upholds an important program that’s reducing air pollution and protecting communities across the country.”
This action affects approximately 4.6 million full-size pickups and SUVs, as well as about 1.3 million midsize SUVs from model years 2012-2018.
The in-use program is a crucial part of the EPA's efforts to ensure that the climate benefits of its vehicle standards are realized. This includes recently finalized light-duty vehicle standards expected to avoid more than seven billion tons of carbon emissions and provide nearly $100 billion in annual net benefits. The EPA remains vigilant in monitoring vehicle performance to ensure automaker compliance and achieve greenhouse gas program goals.
GM’s credit retirement will be reflected in the next update of the Automotive Trends and GHG Compliance Report, available later this year on the EPA’s Automotive Trends Report webpage.
Affected Vehicles:
- Model Years: 2012-2017
- Size: 2.4L
- Models: Chevrolet Equinox FWD, Chevrolet Captiva FWD, GMC Terrain FWD
- Test groups: CGMXJ02.4150, CGMXJ02.4151, CGMXJ02.4199, DGMXJ02.4151, DGMXJ02.4199, DGMXJ02.5150, EGMXJ02.4199, EGMXJ02.5150, EGMXT02.4151, FGMXJ02.4199, FGMXJ02.5150, FGMXT02.4151, GGMXJ02.4199, GGMXT02.4151, HGMXJ02.4199,
HGMXT02.
- Affected number of vehicles: 1,307,946
- Model Years: 2012-2014
- Size: 5.3L
- Models: Chevrolet K1500 TAHOE 4WD, Chevrolet C1500 TAHOE 2WD,
Chevrolet K15 SILVERADO 4WD,
Chevrolet C15 SILVERADO 2WD,
Chevrolet C15 SILVERADO XFE,
GMC C15 SIERRA XFE,
GMC K15 SIERRA YUKON XL AWD
- Test groups: CGMXT05.
- Affected number of vehicles:
972,
- Model Years:
- Size:
- Models:
- Test groups:
- Affected number of vehicles:
