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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Thursday he didn’t know why Elon Musk’s Tesla, by far the biggest name in electric vehicles, wouldn’t appear in the White House when President Joe Biden takes further action in favor clean cars and trucks.
“I’m not sure,” Buttigieg said when asked on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” why Tesla was snubbed from the event, where Biden would have to sign an executive order setting a national goal for half of all new cars and trucks are electric. or zero emissions by 2030.
Other US auto giants Ford and GM, as well as Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, and the United Auto Workers union, are expected to stand alongside Biden at the 3 p.m. ET event.
But Tesla – who is not unionized and has resisted organizing efforts – has never heard of the pro-union White House Biden.
That’s what Musk himself said, who tweeted overnight: “Yep, it seems strange that Tesla wasn’t invited.”
Asked about this tweet, Buttigieg said he hadn’t seen it, then quickly turned his attention away from Tesla.
“We are excited about all the momentum to ensure that Americans can drive electric vehicles in the future,” Buttigieg said.
“And by the way, we’re also heading towards a future where all of this is present in the whole market. I don’t want there to be a perception that this is just some sort of luxury, or that it is. just for the cars that you use to drive through cities, ”said the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
A White House official, when asked about Tesla’s absence, told CNBC: “We of course applaud the efforts of all automakers who recognize the potential of an electric future and support efforts that will help achieve the President Biden’s goal. “
“And we are delighted to see the support and the goals not only of the three automakers who will be here today, but of all the automakers who realize this potential,” said the official.
The Biden administration is expected to announce a proposal to strengthen federal fuel economy and emissions standards through to model year 2026. These proposed standards are subject to a public comment period and final approval.
The former Trump administration strongly opposed higher fuel efficiency standards and challenged California over a deal with some automakers to cut emissions.
This is the news in development. Please check for updates.
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