Thursday, April 29, closes a significant measurement for President Joe Biden: his first 100 days in office.
Although the pandemic has been the new administration’s top priority, these 100 days charted an EV-focused auto industry through a federal focus on climate change, emissions standards and budding Chinese competitiveness, and potential dominance, in future technologies and raw materials.
On Jan. 25, Biden announced an executive order that will convert the US government’s 645,000-strong fleet of vehicles to battery-powered vehicles. With a core focus on reducing emissions and setting an example for the country to shift to EVs, the EO also aims to bolster the US’ purchasing power to buy EVs from American businesses and US-made products. The administration hasn’t produced a timeline for the conversion just yet, and the next-generation mail delivery trucks have already challenged how serious the administration is with this commitment.
Also included in Biden’s ambitious infrastructure plan is the proposal of 500,000 new EV charging stations across the US. The plan calls for every one of these half a million chargers to be installed by 2030, providing funds for grants and incentive programs for state and local governments, as well as private companies.
By this July, the Biden administration will reveal updated fuel economy and emissions regulations for automakers to adhere to.
A Biden-ordered review of the US’ supply chain for semiconductor chips didn’t stop there. Included in a short- and long-term review of the country’s supply chain is a closer investigation of the US’ rare earth materials and how the country can better position itself to counter China’s EV supply chain, specifically, batteries. The order’s scope extends to “advanced batteries, like the ones used in electric vehicles,” with a goal of bolstering the US supply chain to keep issues like the semiconductor shortage from ever becoming as serious in the first place. The president’s infrastructure bill would also make billions of dollars available for companies to retool their plants to pivot and support EV production, plus battery assembly domestically.
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