FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2021
Contact: Noah Barnes, Plug In America
nbarnes@pluginamerica.org
(323) 333-8010
Plug In America applauds the White House’s down payment on the future of transportation
LOS ANGELES—On March 31, the Biden-Harris Administration released the American Jobs Plan, a comprehensive plan to upgrade the transportation infrastructure within the U.S. The plan covers rail, freight, bridges, highways and a large focus on transportation electrification. In response, Plug In America Executive Director Joel Levin released the following statement:
“Plug In America is pleased to hear about the $174 billion commitment to electric transportation that was announced by President Biden. We look forward to hearing more details on the plan and how it will be structured.
“To fully understand the investment in electric transportation that the President is proposing, we need to appreciate the vast scope of the challenge. The goal is to apply 21st-century technology to completely restructure a 100-year-old industry that is core to our economy. Every American car factory will need to be transformed. New charging infrastructure will need to be put in place. These funds will be expended over ten years. Americans purchased about 14.5 million new cars in 2020. For perspective, this investment by the federal government is only about 2-3% of what Americans will spend on cars over that time.
“Industry will invest hundreds of billions on retooling. Educational institutions and workers will invest their own time and money to create the highly skilled workforce that we will need. Cities, states, charging companies, utilities, and consumers will spend large amounts on charging infrastructure. And of course, consumers will need to spend their own money to buy these cars. This federal investment of $174 billion is really intended to activate all of the private human and financial capital that will be needed and is just a fraction of the real cost for this transformation. This is a down payment on the future of transportation.
“I look at this as a transformational moment for America, like the moon landing in the 1960s. In fact, this investment is about 60% of the cost of the moon landing program (in current dollars), but will ultimately more than pay for itself, employ far more people, and have a much more profound impact on American society in terms of our economy, workforce, health, environment, and international relations.”
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About Plug In America
Plug In America is the nation’s leading independent consumer voice for accelerating the use of plug-in electric vehicles in the United States. Formed as a non-profit in 2008, Plug In America provides practical, objective information collected from our coalition of plug-in vehicle drivers, through public outreach and education, policy work and a range of technical advisory services. Our expertise represents the world’s deepest pool of experience of driving and living with plug-in vehicles. We drive electric. You can too. PlugInAmerica.org
