Plug In America urges the Biden Administration to make history: Commit that 100% of new cars and trucks will have a plug by the end of this decade

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 21, 2021

Contact:
Noah Barnes, Plug In America
nbarnes@pluginamerica.org
(323) 333-8010

Plug In America urges the Biden Administration to make history: Commit that 100% of new cars and trucks will have a plug by the end of this decade

WASHINGTON—On the morning of Pete Buttigieg’s confirmation hearing to become Secretary of Transportation, Plug In America, a nonprofit organization that advances clean electric vehicles (EVs), today unveiled a set of priorities for the Biden Administration and the 117th Congress, including a commitment that 100% of new cars and trucks have a plug by the end of this decade.

The future of transportation is electric. This is no longer under dispute. The only question is where these vehicles will be made. The new Administration and 117th Congress now have a chance to lead the rest of the world again in the transportation electrification sector.

“President John F. Kennedy called on America to land a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s,” said Joel Levin, executive director of Plug In America. “He launched a national mission that, at its peak, employed some 400,000 people, inspired a generation, and created technological advances that benefit us even now. Today, Plug In America urges the Biden Administration to call for a plug on every car and truck by the end of the decade. This bold policy vision will rebuild our aging infrastructure and assert American leadership in tomorrow’s energy and transportation technologies. It will create millions of good-paying jobs across numerous industries: automotive, electronics, power generation, basic materials, STEM education, and construction. And it will allow us to reclaim our skies and protect future generations from the devastation of climate change.”

This represents a 50% annual growth year over year from 2020 for battery electrics and plug-in hybrids, from a starting point of about 300,000 EVs sold in the U.S. in 2020. This kind of growth is achievable and is already being done in other major car markets. For example, with supportive policies, EV market share in Germany grew to 20.5% in November 2020 from just 3.7% a year earlier. It will require a suite of supportive policies and investments in charging infrastructure, manufacturing, technical education and training, and consumer protection.

In addition, Plug In America calls for the Biden Administration to establish the position of a Transportation Electrification Czar in the Office of the President. Transportation electrification is a cross-sectional issue that should not be siloed into work solely at the Department of Transportation (DOT) or Department of Energy (DOE); instead, there is an urgent need to coordinate agency activity in this sector across the DOT, DOE, Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Education, General Services Administration, Department of Labor, and other agencies, especially to ensure that a just and equitable transition to an electric future is accomplished.

Levin added, “Furthermore, transportation electrification represents an opportunity for all Americans. The Czar needs to ensure that communities that are burdened by environmental injustice, lack of economic opportunity, or the transition away from fossil fuels share fully in the education, jobs, economic development and other benefits that this transition will bring.”

To view the Plug In America 2021 Federal level and 117th Congressional policies, click here.

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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

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