Snubbing Tesla, Joe Biden sets ambitious target for US electric vehicle sales
- Biden sets goal of making half of US car industry electric by 2030
- Electric car leader Tesla left out of White House event
Biden cast the move as a way to compete with China and other countries that have invested in electric vehicles (EV), while also transforming the US transport sector, which is the biggest source of the country’s carbon emissions.
Speaking at the White House before an array of electric cars, Biden called them “a vision of the future that is now beginning to happen, a future of the automobile industry that is electric, battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, fuel cell electric”.
“It’s electric and there’s no turning back. The question is whether we’ll lead or fall behind,” he said.
News of the announcement drew modest praise from environmentalists, who stressed the need for additional measures given the worsening climate situation.
The Sierra Club’s Katherine Garcia called the target a “meaningful signal to manufacturers”, but said it should be raised to 60 per cent and be supplemented with “the strongest clean car standards possible”.