According to simultaneous announcements by some of the nation’s largest automakers and the White House, the country will move towards a zero-emissions future with the newly set goal of reaching 40 to 50 percent electric vehicle sales share in 2030. The White House said that President Biden plans to soon sign an executive order setting the new target.
A joint announcement by Ford, GM, and Stellantis expressed their support for the proposal, noting that it highlights their “collective commitment to be leaders in the U.S. transition to electric vehicles.” The automakers also remarked that in order to reach the goal, they will need the deployment of the “full suite of electrification policies” agreed to by the president’s Build Back Better Agenda, a plan to strengthen U.S. leadership in electric vehicles and batteries.
The commitments the car makers alluded to include “a comprehensive charging network of sufficient density to support the millions of vehicles these targets represent, investments in R&D, and incentives to expand the electric vehicle manufacturing and supply chains in the United States,” according to GM.
For its part, the Administration said that it will support the automakers’ need to invest in and grow domestic, good-paying union jobs. The 2030 target, the White House noted, is engineered to provide time for manufacturers to upgrade facilities without abandoning existing assets and will foster an expanded union-driven manufacturing sector. “More than a deployment target, it is a goal to leverage once-in-generation investments and a whole-of-government effort to lift up the American autoworker and strengthen American leadership in clean cars and trucks,” the White House said.
In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are set to explain how they will alter the previous administration’s detrimental rollback of near-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards, the fact sheet said.
The planned rollout reportedly builds on the “California Framework Agreement,” a pact between California and Ford, Honda, Volkswagen Group, BMW, and Volvo. Notably, the agreement to adhere to more stringent standards than those required under former President Trump triggered scrutiny from his Justice Department, resulting in an investigation that ultimately went nowhere.
