Why a Biden presidency will accelerate the shift to electric cars: 10 talking points

President-elect Joe Biden has proposed a $ 2 trillion climate program that includes provisions ranging from coordinating climate priorities in transportation infrastructure spending to restarting “Cash for Clunkers” in the interest of modernizing the fleet towards cleaner vehicles.

The Union of Concerned Scientists on Saturday declared Biden’s victory as “a victory for science” – referring both to the platform’s methods of tackling the coronavirus pandemic and all ramifications for energy and the environment. The Sierra Club, in congratulating Biden / Harris’ victory, called it “the strongest platform for climate, clean energy and environmental justice ever put forward by a presidential ticket.”

But executing that plan and platform requires legislation and depends on democratic control of Congress and, in the latest in a series of political cliffhangers, second-round elections in Georgia that will determine control of the Senate. Without the legislative power on its side, the chances of pushing through autonomous and far-reaching climate legislation are slim.

Even without Senate control, there is still a lot President-elect Biden could do for clean energy and green vehicles. Bloomberg noted that a recent task force, convened during the campaign and headed by former Secretary of State John Kerry and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, outlined 56.

Here are 10 picklist items we see within the grasp of President-elect Biden. Each of them could spell out a significant difference for electric vehicles in the United States, and collectively, that would be a dramatic departure from our current trajectory.

Revisit fuel economy requirements

While the timing of the release of the EPA Trump final rule for fuel economy and emissions made it difficult to reverse course, the Biden administration could use the EPA’s existing resources to advocate fairly easily. in favor of restoring the Obama-era rules that were supposed to be in effect. place until 2026.

It would not be an immediate change either, as the agency would have to follow the existing rulemaking process. Under a precedent adopted by Trump, Biden has the ability to appoint people to “acting” positions so that rule-making can be accomplished. Although all of this can be challenged in court.

Widen and extend the tax credit for electric vehicles

An extension of the federal electric vehicle tax credit with a cap of 600,000 vehicle makers and a reduction in the credit from $ 7,500 to $ 7,000 was included in last year’s federal spending bill, with a bipartisan support, but reduced by the White House. Without Trump and economic adviser Larry Kudlow, the second time could be a charm. Biden’s campaign said he would likely seek to set a household income limit of $ 250,000 to claim the credit. Lifting the cap that currently punishes GM and Tesla for their early success with plug-in vehicles could even be a long-term playing field.

Accelerated conversion of public vehicle fleets to all-electric

This is something that the task force chose as another possibility and which does not require the support of Congress. “We will reduce harmful air pollution and protect the health of our children by moving the entire fleet of 500,000 school buses to US-made zero-emission alternatives within five years,” said policymakers.

More charging infrastructure

Biden’s plan targets “at least 500,000 public charging stations from coast to coast,” through a partnership with state and local governments.

Fewer recharging deserts and “fuel poverty”

The Biden task force aims to “develop a national strategy to eliminate energy poverty, including lack of access to electricity in rural areas, and reduce disparities in energy load”. You can bet the focus will be more on recharging and clean energy for people who would otherwise have been left behind, including many in urban areas.

A cleaner network for rural America

The task force noted that the Biden administration would increase “federal support to build sustainable and resilient energy networks in rural America and in tribal areas lacking energy infrastructure.” These were some of the main goals of the Obama-era clean energy plan, superseded by Trump’s weaker rule on affordable clean energy, which several analyzes show will increase greenhouse gas emissions relative to to a status quo scenario. While it is no longer possible to return to the intricacies of the Clean Power Plan, restoring some of its goals may be.

Help finance the transition of EV manufacturing

This is an item that, with the blessing of the Biden administration, lawmakers could easily revert to – spelled out in the task force document as making major programs available or funding “to build new facilities. or re-equip existing US facilities to manufacture electric vehicles, including heavy-duty trucks, school buses, transit buses, airplanes and more. ”

Supporting Small US EV Businesses

The Biden task force intends to increase investment in innovation hubs and work to “extend assistance to small manufacturers looking to grow and connect to global supply chains.” It’s hard to see how that wouldn’t be a good thing for electric vehicle candidates who plan to build vehicles in the United States, like Lucid, Rivian, and Lordstown.

Return to tariff stability

Following this last point, we cannot expect a Biden administration to reverse much of the tariff negotiation done under the Trump administration, but we can expect it to be much more balanced. and less slapdash – potentially good news for both the German auto industry and other automakers looking to selectively source certain low-volume models in China for certain low-volume models on a trade balance. Perhaps a legacy of the Trump administration is that more vehicles – and more high-tech vehicles – will be made in America, however.

Wildcard: changing the reaction of car manufacturers

Some automakers have sided with California and said they can easily meet revised state standards more closely aligned with Obama-Biden standards, while others sided with the state. Trump administration by rolling out relaxed rules that were at odds with those of the EPA. results. With the Clean Air Act waiver reinstated, this is going to be fun to watch, especially since some automakers are probably trying to rewrite their recent history.