Donald Trump chose he won 15 electoral votes when he won Michigan on Election Day, another big victory that helped the Republican candidate win his second presidential term. Both he and the Democratic candidate, US Vice President Kamala Harris, spent a lot of time this fall campaigning in the critical swing state.
A consequence of this electoral peculiarity is that the candidates have said a lot about electric cars and have left many clues about how the electric revolution could fare during their administrations. Detroit is the largest city in Michigan, the center of the American auto industry, and the spiritual home of American auto workers.
Now Trump, with the backing of at least one Republican US Senate, will regain control of the federal government, and it is clear that his administration will take a different approach to electric vehicles than his predecessor, complicating the position of the industry in its attempt to become electrified.
Electric vehicles are not going away. But its future is much murkier than yesterday.
What Trump has said
The president-elect has made contradictory statements about electric vehicles. During his nomination speech in July of this year, Trump pledged to “end the electric vehicle mandate on day one,” referring to the The goal of the Biden administration convert half of all vehicle sales to electric vehicles by 2030. The move, Trump promised, would save the American auto industry from “total destruction” and reduce American car prices by thousands of dollars. (Electric vehicles are generally even more expensive than internal combustion cars.) Trump has called federal spending on electric vehicles and their chargers part of the “Green New Scam,” a play on the U.S. Congress’ bipartisan “Green New Deal.” financing package. Earlier this year, he told a Michigan audience that the industry’s emphasis on electric vehicles would make it easier for China to take over the global auto industry.
But Tesla CEO Elon Musk has proven to be a trusted supporter, advisor and money man for the president-elect. Trump, a transactional politician, seems willing to pay him. “I’m in favor of electric cars,” Trump said in August. “I have to be, because Elon strongly supported me.” Tesla’s stock price soared 13 percent on Wednesday.
Then there are the positions of the conservative Heritage Foundation. The right-wing think tank’s Project 2025 transition plan has been rejected by the Trump campaign, but can still serve as scaffolding for the administration’s policies. in a brief focused on the Department of TransportationThe organization criticized subsidies for electric vehicles, including tax credits, and new fuel economy standards that attempt to reduce vehicle emissions over the next decade.
What could happen?
Trump and his allies will likely find it difficult and time-consuming to undo four years of support for electric vehicles. Because so many climate-related policies are enshrined in federal law, you will need help from Congress to reject them. Electric vehicle tax credits could be an easy first target. Republicans didn’t like them. But stricter greenhouse gas emissions rules from the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation, finalized this year, have received support from the auto industry. Pro-industry Republicans may not help Trump. Any funding for factories building electric vehicles and batteries that flows to red states will not be easily taken away.
The Trump administration will have control over funding for the Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act that has not yet been delivered. Targets there could include what’s left of the money promised for a national electric vehicle charging network.