“I’m not kidding” … Biden to announce a new American approach to the automobile

Senior US officials who spoke to a number of media outlets said President Joe Biden would set a new national goal on Thursday to increase the use of electric cars in the United States, and called on automakers to do so. so that their sales of this type reach 40-. 50% of total new car sales by 2030.

Officials spoke to a number of US media on condition of anonymity.

President Biden tweeted Wednesday night that there was “big news” to be announced Thursday regarding the electric car issue, adding: “When I say electric cars are the future, I’m not kidding.” .

The White House said the president would make statements at 3:00 p.m. Thursday on steps his administration is taking to promote “American leadership” on clean cars and trucks, without mentioning who will attend the event.

U.S. news network CNBC, which reported the news, said companies such as General Motors, Ford and Stellantis (formerly Fiat) should support the goal.

It is not known if Tesla, the largest maker of electric cars in the United States, will participate in the event.

She added that the Detroit automakers were scheduled to attend an “event” Thursday at the White House.

USA Today says the plan and presidential proclamation will not be binding, but will be encouraging by adopting policies that encourage automakers to make the transition.

He added that leaders of the United Auto Workers union will attend the signing of the agreement to show their support for these efforts.

The presidential goal includes the manufacture of zero-emission vehicles powered by fuel cells and batteries, as well as the development of hybrid models with dual-electric internal combustion engines.

CNBC also expected the Biden administration to announce climate regulations by announcing stricter regulations and laws to control emissions.

But it’s not yet clear how many automakers will support Biden’s new fuel economy standards, although automakers such as Ford, Honda Motor and Volkswagen have previously agreed to stricter California standards, which the Trump administration has adopted. is strongly opposed.

Stellantis said last month it aims to have more than 40% of its U.S. sales low-emissions by 2030.

While General Motors has said it aspires to end sales of gasoline cars by 2035, it said on Wednesday it was focusing on all-electric vehicles rather than plug-in hybrids.

Ford said it expects “at least 40% of our global sales volume to be fully electric by 2030”.