Redirecting the Current: The Federal Government's Promotion of Electric Vehicles

Growing climate concern continues across the US, with thought that the fix lies in expanding the electric vehicle market. Here lies one such depiction of an electric car at a charging station- something that may become commonplace if these policies come to fruition. Source for image: Electrek

For decades, the people of the United States have enjoyed the luxuries of established businesses in the auto industry such as Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge. In recent years, however, companies like Tesla have surged in popularity with the introduction of electric vehicles to the mass population. In particular, climate activists take special interest with electric vehicles due to their lack of carbon emissions, which goes to aid the environment while also providing a way of travel. The Biden Administration has released a new regulation that aims to see two-thirds of all vehicles sold in the US be electric by the year 2032. Though benevolent in sound, the contention lies in the affordability, practicality, and feasibility of meeting this aggressive goal. 

Efforts to secure lower carbon emissions through the ushering of more electric vehicles is an act not unseen in times past. Already, the Biden Administration has set a previous commitment to ensuring at least 50% of cars sold would be electric by the year 2030, however this new initiative takes to increase such by an extra 17%; two-thirds of all vehicles. Both work towards eliminating carbon emissions in the US’s biggest source of carbon emissions, the transportation sector. The policy itself does not move to set a certain sales requirement of electric vehicles, only that it sets a standard for trucks and cars that would reduce the amount of tailpipe emissions allowed by so much, that it in effect forces more electric vehicles to be present so as to meet below said cap on emissions. Electric vehicle sales in the US currently makeup only about 6% of the 13.8 million total cars sold in 2022, which was only slightly higher from the 3.1% in 2021. The US itself is the third largest market for electric vehicles in the world, this being after China and the European Union respectively, and with this initiative, promises that nearly 10 billion tons of carbon emissions would be saved (or rather, not emitted), by the year 2055. This policy additionally would help the Biden Administration's goal of zero-net carbon emissions by 2050. Despite all the benefits this policy would seem to have, its implementation and the actual want of it on part of the American people, is questionable. 

Electric vehicles, on average, cost about $58,000, a price at which many Americans could not afford to pay for a car, let alone for multiple people in a larger household. Acts such as the Inflation Reduction Act offered tax credits up to $7,500 towards those that bought electric vehicles, however new decisions released by the Treasury Department have made requirements stricter, resulting in fewer people having access to the tax credit. Many in the US as well, after being polled, do not long for an electric vehicle, even if it means saving or doing less harm to the environment. The poll recorded that about half of the American population would not choose an electric car as their next vehicle, and an even less, 35%, are in support of the stricter auto emission rules released by the Biden Administration. Even worse, the amount of charging stations (places where electric vehicles can be recharged, much the same in equivalence to a gas station for electric cars) is in the millions. All this to say, it will take more money and time to build, delaying any real progress towards the set goal. 

What else can be done then to counteract the continual release of carbon emissions into the atmosphere? Recall already that the US remains the third largest market for electric vehicles, however, it leaves the rest of the world in question as to their own carbon emissions. If the end of our purpose is the pursuit of a cleaner world, with less carbon emissions, we too must look to those around us and their emissions. This is essential not only for sake that we accomplish more of our goal by reducing more emissions, globally, but also ensures that if economic hits are to be taken on account of countries to pursue this goal, that the US does not fall behind to its competitors by an equal burden being shared between them. Seen across graphics, China, Russia, and Europe abroad, to name a few, are themselves large contributors to carbon emissions, separate from the US. Enacting a global policy or agreement, be it from the UN or other, that would see multiple countries enact changes similar to if not exactly to what we are doing in the US, goes to promote our own economic and biological benefit. This being done, through the shared economic burden that each country would take, ensuring that while we lower our emissions at the expense of higher costs to our budget or through taxes, that the far off competitors of the US do not simply continue to push out their own emissions, and outpace us in terms of industry and innovation. From this, there will be an array of problems far different, more complicated, and harder to accomplish than the single goal set before us in the US, but it will be of larger benefit for us to engage in action on a global scale more than it would ever be on the national. For now, however, eyes lay on the electric vehicle market and what is to come from the new decisions, and more importantly, what new administrations will do to carry on or alter this goal in the intent of benefit for the American people.