It is not easy to go from the known to the unknown. However, the world we live in is constantly changing, and like many generations before us, we need to adapt and change with it.
One of the biggest forces of change today is the transition from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles. While it may seem like a big adjustment, many, like Buttigieg, have related it to the switch from landlines to cell phones that boomers made not so long ago.

It is common knowledge that Earth is on a destructive trajectory, and real, lasting change needs to be made as soon as possible to save the planet we live on. One of the solutions is to deal with the growing climate change issue, and one big way to do that is to switch from gas-powered vehicles to electric ones.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, around 30% of the total CO2 emissions in the United States come from gas and diesel vehicles. As such, transitions to EVs will have a huge impact on the fight against climate change. Put simply, EVs have to be the future if America wants a real future for its residents.

A huge majority of the country, including many of its government officials, agree that EVs are the future. Still, some believe that forcing a transition to EVs is irrational and impractical.
The US Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, has a message for those Americans: “Let’s be clear, the automotive sector is moving toward EVs, and we can’t pretend otherwise.”

Buttigieg also said, “Sometimes when these debates happen, I feel like it’s the early 2000s, and I’m talking to some people who think that we can just have landline phones forever.”
For those who need a refresher, in the past, many Baby Boomers initially refused to buy cell phones when they first went on sale in stores. Of course, it didn’t take long for them to realize the perks of having a mobile phone, and now, everyone, including those who fought against switching to a cell phone, has one in their pocket.

Whether Americans like it or not, they will be transitioning from gas-powered vehicles to electric ones within the next decade. We have President Biden to thank for that as he has implemented legislation called the Inflation Reduction Act, which ensures two-thirds of all cars made in the USA are electric by 2032. Furthermore, California and eight other states have already passed the Advanced Clean Cars II bill, which states that all new vehicles for sale must be zero-emission by 2035.

Buttigieg, the Secretary of Transportation, also argues that while many have criticized President Biden’s EV plan, he is actually making sure that the United States auto manufacturing industry doesn’t completely fall apart over the next decade.
According to Buttigieg, as EVs become the preferred choice among consumers, “President Biden wants to make sure that those EVs are made in America as more Americans choose EVs.”

Buttigieg also said that, when it comes to EVs, Biden doesn’t want the US to “fall behind China” but instead “claim the lead.” According to the Secretary of Transportation, China already has an incredible EV industry, “not because they’re big environmentalists over in China, just because that’s the economically smart play.”

While Buttigieg was discussing the EV manufacturing industry, he pointed out how the former president and candidate for the 2024 election, Donald Trump, allowed China to get a head start and how President Biden is trying to rectify that. Trump has famously denied climate change and has already made several comments about his distrust of electric vehicles. If he wins in November, many fear he may completely overturn Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

Of course, that fear may be unfounded because, as president of the United States, Donald Trump would certainly have a say regarding the federal regulations of gas or diesel powered vehicles. Still, he does not have the power to change state laws.
Therefore, no matter what happens in November 2024 or the months that follow, the Advanced Clean Cars II legislation that has already been passed in nearly a dozen states will likely stand.

Those who believe that EVs will never become the future of vehicles in the USA have been citing Tesla’s decreasing sales as tangible evidence. However, Buttigieg has an explanation for why that’s happening: “Consumers have wanted and purchased more EVs every single year than the year before, and Tesla is facing more competition as GM, Ford, and other competitors make sure they get a piece of the EV market.”

There are those who believe that America is now more divisive than ever before. Republicans and Democrats can’t seem to agree on anything these days, and that includes what kind of car they want to drive. However, it’s important to understand that millions of Americans will purchase an EV as their next car, not because the president or their government told them to, but simply because it is what is best for the planet we live on.

The US presidential election is right around the corner, but the nation is as divided as it has ever been. The two candidates have radically different political views, and whoever wins will initiate big changes. The election will undoubtedly play a big role in the country’s transition from gas-powered vehicles to EVs. But as Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg argues, no matter who sits in the Oval Office, the vast majority of Americans now want electric.