Written by Tu Yanping
Editor / Huang Dalu
Design / Zhao Haoran
来源 / ABC News，By Leah Sarnoff；New York，By Errol Louis
On the road to the 2024 United States presidential election, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris ·· and former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump offer two different visions of the future of United States cars with their views on electric vehicles.
Harris has been a strong supporter of the administration's push to expand the use and manufacture of electric vehicles in the United States, while Trump has pledged to scrap those policies.
However, on August 12, United States Eastern time, Trump appeared to soften his staunch opposition to electric vehicles when he spoke with Tesla CEO ·Elon Musk on the X platform.
"You did make a great product," Trump told Musk, referring to Tesla cars, "and that doesn't mean everyone should have an electric car, but those are small details...... Your product is incredible. ”
Before speaking with Musk, the former president had always argued that electric vehicle production and sustainable energy were bad for the economy. He has vowed to repeal the Biden-Harris administration's sustainable energy policies "day one" in favor of domestic oil production. In July, Trump told an audience at the Republican National Convention: "I'm going to end the authorization of electric vehicles on day one, saving the United States auto industry from total destruction." ”
"Politically, Donald · Trump are handing over the keys to a shiny new electric car · Kamala Harris — the car in which Harris and the Democrats could ride all the way to the White House," the New York Magazine commented. ”
Key states
In 2019, Harris ran for the 2020 presidential race. At the time, she proposed a plan to federal $10 trillion by 2045 to transition the United States economy to renewable energy. It's doubtful whether she'll revisit this mega initiative, but her current support for electric vehicles allows her to ride the momentum.
Last year, Americans bought a record 1.4 million electric vehicles, about 9.1 percent of total car sales in the United States market.
Politically, what matters is not where these vehicles are purchased and used — Democratic-leaning regions — but where cars and trucks are produced: mostly in key states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Georgia.
"Interestingly, two-thirds of the Electoral College votes went to the big states that invest in electric vehicles, and these five swing states will elect presidents." ·Mike Murphy told New York Magazine that "with 30,000 new EV manufacturing jobs in Michigan and 40,000 in Georgia, they're the best kept secret in our economy right now." ”
He served as a senior Republican strategist for many years and is now the CEO of the EV Politics Project.
Murphy's warning to Republicans not to ignore the jobs and funding from auto manufacturing is at least as welcome as Trump's vow to end support for electric car manufacturing.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp avoided joining the GOP's · bashing of electric vehicles. He understands that this is the largest industrial investment in Georgia's history. "There's no doubt that Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been making a big fuss about EV jobs throughout the year·; Michigan ranks second in terms of investment in new EV manufacturing. Lose Michigan and Georgia, and you lose the presidential race. ”
This puts Trump in an awkward position. Polls show that Republican voters are less enthusiastic about electric vehicles than their Democratic neighbors, and they simply don't shy off the argument that using electric vehicles is good for the environment.
The Gallup pollster found earlier this year that "27% of liberals own or are considering buying an electric car, higher than any other subgroup." At the same time, the 7% market share among conservatives is tied with senior citizens for the lowest among the subgroups. Conservatives and Republicans are the two groups with the highest percentage of people who say they won't consider electric vehicles. ”
It's clear that Trump wants a repeat of the miracle of 2016, when he narrowly won Michigan by 11,000 votes. He lost to the state in 2020 by 154,000 votes, but recent polls show that the state has seen an average lead of 1.2 percentage points over Harris.
Biden-Harris supports electric vehicle policy
While there is no federal mandate to produce electric vehicles, the Biden-Harris administration has enacted regulations that require automakers to reduce the emissions produced by their fleets, including producing more electric and hybrid vehicles.
Biden on the left and Harris on the right
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, signed by Biden, is the largest climate investment project in United States history, and Harris cast the decisive vote in Congress.
The legislation aims to reduce United States carbon emissions by 40% by 2030 and invest $370 billion over the next 10 years in wind, solar, battery and electric vehicle production.
Through the Inflation Reduction Act, Harris advocated for significant investment in domestic EV manufacturing, including funding for charging stations and providing incentives for consumers to purchase EVs.
In May, Harris traveled to Detroit, Michigan, to announce $100 million to small and medium-sized automakers to upgrade electric vehicle production facilities.
"This investment will help keep our automotive supply chain in United States." Harris said at the time, "This will strengthen the overall economic development of the United States and will keep those jobs in Detroit." ”
If elected, Harris is expected to continue advocating for environmentally friendly fuel and emissions standards, increase funding for EV technology research and development, and focus on leveraging the growth of the EV industry to create more jobs.
United States ABC News asked the Harris campaign for comment on their electric car plans, but did not receive an immediate response.
The impact of electric vehicle sales on the economy and climate
More and more United States are embracing electric vehicles. United States Energy Minister Jenni·fer Granholm announced in January that sales of electric vehicles and trucks would increase from 1 million in 2022 to 1.4 million last year, Energy Minister Jennifer Granholm announced in January.
"The progress that has been made is amazing." Albert Gore III, executive director ·of the non-profit coalition Zero Emission Transportation Association, told ABC News, "United States is indeed a leader in many good policymakers when it comes to investing in every part of the electric vehicle and battery supply chain." ”
Gore also noted that electric vehicles can have a significant impact on the economy, saying, "There are a lot of opportunities. ”
In the Midwest, Southwest, and Southeast industrial regions of the United States, investment and employment opportunities have emerged to produce minerals and battery components for electric vehicles.
Georgia, Nevada, Texas, Ohio and Kansas have developed into United States battery manufacturing hubs, while Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio and Arizona have become leaders in electric vehicle manufacturing in the United States.
"As a result, there are a lot of exciting economic opportunities in these places, often at multiple points in the supply chain." Gore added.
In July, the Biden administration awarded nearly $2 billion in grants to General Motors, Stellantis and other automakers to expand EV production in eight states, including the key electoral swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
Craig Segall, former deputy executive of the California Air Resources Board and current vice president ·of Evergreen Action, a nonprofit climate change advocacy group, told ABC News, "We have to create a transportation system where union workers build cars and provide good jobs, and the Biden-Harris Inflation Reduction Act has allowed us to start doing that." ”
"We have to stabilize the climate, and United States should take the lead in this." Siegel added.
Waltz on the left and Harris on the right
Siegel believes that Harris-Walz's arrival in the White House is expected to continue the Biden administration's push for electric vehicle manufacturing and has the opportunity to further achieve those goals. Minnesota Governor Tim ·
Tim Walz is Harris's running mate and Democratic vice presidential nominee.
"When I think about what we can have at the end of her first term, I think we're talking about clearer skies and healthier communities." Siegel said.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, because electric vehicles are zero-emission, their carbon footprint is typically smaller than that of gasoline vehicles, even when the amount of electricity used to charge them is factored in.
Barriers to EV sales in the United States
Despite strong pushes from automakers and government officials, the EV market in the United States remains small compared to gasoline vehicle sales. According to Experian Automotive's Market Trends Report, only 9.3% of the approximately 286 million vehicles on the road in 2023 were electric.
Jess·ica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds, told ABC News: "The EV market is going through a tough time right now. ”
Caldwell explained that consumers' hesitation to buy an EV is mainly focused on aspects such as charging infrastructure, range, price and battery life.
"In order for EV buyers to evolve from early adopters to mainstream consumers, EVs may require sustained government support to meet sales targets for all brands." "Even with the enthusiastic support of the new presidential administration, it will be a daunting task to achieve such a dramatic shift in the automotive market, and the political rhetoric around electric vehicles is likely to put additional pressure on any new policy decisions," Caldwell said. ”
加州大学戴维斯分校交通研究所（UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies）助理教授艾伦·詹恩（Alan Jenn）表示，为了消除消费者的犹豫，需要在每个价格范围内提供电动汽车。
Jenn told ABC News: "In order to make EVs more mainstream than they are now, we want to see more affordable segment vehicles released. ”
According to Kelley Blue Book, the average transaction price of an electric vehicle in June 2024 was $56,371, compared to $48,644 for gas-powered vehicles.
Siegel believes that Harris' presidency could bring federal investment and further tax credits to reduce the cost of electric vehicles.
Currently, the United States government offers up to $7,500 in tax relief for eligible new electric vehicles and up to $4,000 for eligible used electric vehicles, according to the United States Department of Energy.
"They're now fully capable of stopping paying for gas forever, and that's only going to be a better story." Siegel said.