Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg recently contributed to the ongoing global conversation about the future of transportation. He compared the current unreadiness toward electric vehicles (EVs) to the backlash some had towards adopting cell phones in the early 2000s. Buttigieg spoke about this, knowing the plans in several Democratic-led states to ban non-electric vehicles by 2032.
In a casual chat on Fox News, Buttigieg highlighted the upcoming shift toward EVs in the automotive sector. He humorously remarked, “Let’s be clear, the automotive sector is moving toward EVs, and we can’t pretend otherwise. 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.”
Buttigieg also said that the United States has a choice: either stay behind China or take the lead in EV production and use. President Biden is pushing to ensure that EVs are not just the future but also made in America, taking a subtle jab at the previous administration’s handling of China’s dominance in the EV market.
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“Obviously not because they’re big environmentalists over in China, just because that’s the economically smart play. We’ve been working to make sure that advantage comes back on American soil,” Buttigieg said
Contrary to reports of declining sales, Buttigieg noted that as each year passes, the interest in EVs increases. Even Tesla, which has been facing much more competition, stays a very important player in the EV market alongside established automakers like GM and Ford.
Despite Wall Street predicting a fall in Tesla sales, EVs are still in demand, only at a slower pace. The Democrats are riding this trend to advocate for EVs.
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Eight states, starting with California, are set to ban gas-powered car sales within the next decade. The Advanced Clean Cars II legislation ensures that only zero-emission vehicles can be sold from the 2035 model year onwards. While this is a huge step, it doesn’t force Americans to scrap their gas-powered cars immediately, but it allows for a transition period.
The recent federal legislation proposed by the Biden administration intends to phase out gas cars by 2032 gradually. This legislation makes it necessary for automakers to reduce new vehicle tailpipe emissions by approximately 50% from 2026 to 2032. To achieve this, the Environmental Protection Agency aims for EVs to constitute 35% to 56% of new vehicles and plug-in hybrids to account for 13% to 36% by 2032.
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Initially, the discussions were about making two-thirds of all cars sold by 2030 EVs, but recently, some adjustments have been made for automakers, making it more flexible to comply. Nonetheless, under Biden, traditional gas-powered vehicles to EVs will eventually phase out.
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