U.S. President Joe Biden gives a thumbs-up to guests while driving a Jeep Rubicon 4xe at an event for clean cars and trucks, and signs an executive order on transformaing the country’s auto fleet at the White House in Washington, U.S. August 5, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Ben Burke Producer

Politics

At least 40% electric cars by 2030: automakers set ambitious goal

Aug 06, 2021

Ben Burke Producer

By Ben Burke (Producer)

President Joe Biden announced Thursday United States automakers set the goal of having 40-50 percent of their auto sales originate from electric cars by 2030. Only 2.2 percent of new vehicle sales were fully electric vehicles through June, according to Edmunds.com estimates. That’s up from 1.4 percent at the same time last year.

The video above shows President Biden signing an executive order marking the goal, as well as discussing his commitment to producing cleaner cars and trucks.

“They are a vision of the future that is now beginning to happen,” President Biden said. “A future of the automobile industry that is electric battery, electric plug in hybrid, electric, fuel cell, electric. It’s electric and there’s no turning back.”

The United Auto Workers union, which has voiced concerns about being too hasty with a transition to electric vehicles because of the potential impact on industry jobs, did not endorse the goal. But UAW said it stands behind the president to “support his ambition not just to grow electric vehicles but also our capacity to produce them domestically with good wages and benefits.”

On Thursday, Biden said the challenges of climate change could present an opportunity for “good paying union jobs.”

This is just one of the ways the president is trying to reach his goal of cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. Biden also wants automakers to raise gas mileage and cut tailpipe pollution between now and model year 2026. “The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation are unveiling proposals to do just that,” Biden said. “These agencies are beginning to work on the next round of standards for a broad class of vehicles, for cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, medium and heavy duty vehicles.”

The standards would reverse fuel economy and anti-pollution rollbacks implemented under President Donald Trump. At that time, the mileage increases were reduced to 1.5 percent annually through model year 2026.

The new standards would cut greenhouse gas emissions and raise fuel economy by 10% over the Trump rules in car model year 2023. They would get 5% stronger in each model year through 2026, according to an EPA statement. That’s about a 25% increase over four years.

The EPA said that by 2026, the proposed standards would be the toughest greenhouse emissions rules in U.S. history.

Tags: Climate Change, Joe Biden

Joe Biden, U.S. President: “This is an executive order strengthening America’s leadership and clean cars and trucks. And again, let me start off by thanking the CEOs as well as the UAW. You all, all you elected are the reason why it’s happening. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

“By the way, my dad was in the automobile business, he sold Fords for a while, but mostly General Motors projects, products. But you see that sucker over there, zero to 60 in 4.1 seconds. It’s all electric. I tell you what, and I want to say publicly, I have a commitment from (General Motors CEO) Mary (Barra) when they make the first electric Corvette. I get to drive it right, Mary? You think I’m kidding? I’m not kidding. And my entire Secret Service detail went, oh, my God. Let’s go.”

“Today, labor and industry, state and local leaders are all working together to write the next chapter of the American story. As I’ve said before, we’re in competition with China and many other nations for the 21st century. To win we’re going to have to make sure the future will be made in America. You know, back in May, I toured the Ford plant, as I mentioned, the state of the art facility in Dearborn, where the UAW workers like Bernie are building the first ever all electric Ford 150. And as I said, the best part is I got to drive it. It is incredible that just like the other vehicles that are behind me today. They are vision of the future that is now beginning to happen. A future of the automobile industry that is electric battery, electric plug in hybrid, electric, fuel cell, electric. It’s electric and there’s no turning back. The question is whether we’ll lead or fall behind in the race for the future. It’s whether we will build these vehicles and the batteries that got them to where they are in the United States here in the United States or we’re going to have to rely on other countries for those batteries.”

“We have a playbook and it’s going to work. Today, I’m announcing steps we’re taking to set a new pace for electric vehicles. First and following through on the campaign commitment to reverse the previous administration’s short sighted rollback of vehicle emissions and efficiency standards and I’m doing so with the support of the auto industry, the automobile industry. Today the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation are unveiling proposals to do just that. These agencies are beginning to work on the next round of standards for a broad class of vehicles, for cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, medium and heavy duty vehicles. Importantly, we have announcements today from automakers representing nearly the entire auto industry market who have who have positioned around the ambition of 40 to 50% of all vehicles sold by 2030 in America, being electric. This is a big deal.”