By Diego Ramos / Original to ScheerPost
At the Republican National Convention last night, Donald Trump took a shot at the electric vehicle (EV) industry, stating that he will “end the electric vehicle mandate on day one.” Trump also targeted China, raising concerns about the possibility of Chinese companies opening an EV factory in Mexico and selling their cars in the U.S.
Trump’s criticism of EVs followed his complaint about trillions of unspent dollars, which he argued should be directed towards infrastructure rather than what he called “meaningless Green New scam ideas.”
Juan Cole’s recent article on Chinese EVs tackles the issue and fact-checks Trump’s claims, noting, “Although the US can block that move with tariffs, it would be better if US industrial policy put the Big Three on a better foundation to compete with the Chinese EVs.”
Cole also makes the point that with China’s dominance in the EV market, manufacturing “62% of the 10.4 million battery-powered EVs that were produced worldwide last year,” the reliance on petroleum globally will continue to decline.
This contradicts Trump’s dismissal of the green revolution as a scam. “The EVs already on the road have reduced global petroleum demand by 1.5 million barrels a day. By 2025 these vehicles will displace 2.5 million barrels a day,” Cole wrote.
Cole adds, “If Trump gets in and guts the US EV market, as he pledges, he will be dooming us to Third World status in the foreseeable future.”
The “mandate” Trump was likely referring to is the Biden administration’s rule issued in March, which aims for battery electric vehicles to constitute 56% of the new vehicle market in 2032.
This would push gas-powered cars to represent only 29% of the market and, according to Trump, ending this rule would “sav[e] the U.S. auto industry from complete obliteration,” and “sav[e] U.S. customers thousands and thousands of dollars per car.”
The regulations that Trump vows to end, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), would provide “nearly $100 billion of annual net benefits to society, including $13 billion of annual public health benefits due to improved air quality, and $62 billion in reduced annual fuel costs, and maintenance and repair costs for drivers.”
Trump’s commitment against EVs also comes just days after Tesla CEO Elon Musk pledged $45 million a month to help Trump get elected.
Despite the aggressive initial approach, Trump made sure to appease both sides later in his speech:
“And by the way, I’m all for electric. They have their application. But if somebody wants to buy a gas-powered car, gasoline-powered car, or a hybrid, they’re going to be able to do it. And we’re going to make that change on Day 1.”
For more on this, read Juan Cole’s article here.
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Diego Ramos
Diego Ramos, ScheerPost Special Projects Editor and New York bureau chief, is a journalist from Queens, NY. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He has previously worked at BuzzFeed News and was managing editor of Annenberg News at USC. He’s covered and researched myriad topics including war, politics, psychedelic research and sports.
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