Electric Car Mandates Lose Steam in America and Abroad

What’s happening: The White House is walking back its Electric Vehicle initiatives as progressives push Biden to focus on climate politics. Amid public resistance, the Biden administration is now easing up on their ambitious EV targets.

• Catch up: During his 2020 campaign, President Biden promised an aggressive plan to tackle climate change. A major component of this plan included EV mandates —  for half of new vehicles to be electric by 2030, as well as rapidly expanding the EV industry through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal.

Now: The Biden administration reportedly intends to relax limits on tailpipe emissions, initially designed to coerce a prompt transition to Electric Vehicles.

What changed? While the Biden campaign has focused on the progressive wing of the party with climate politics, they’ve lost significant political support from the more moderate auto unions who are concerned the sudden transition to EVs will threaten their jobs.

Still, the United States will continue to ramp up funding to expand charging infrastructure and improve EV technology. The U.S. Department of Energy recently approved $710 million in loans for EV projects, citing the need to compete with China.

Zoom out: It’s not just an American trend. In Europe, a wave of EV backlash has encouraged politicians to ease their mandates. As voters are outraged at the high costs of EVs, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak extended the deadline by 5 years to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles ahead of the likely election later this year.