Governor Lombardo Urges Biden Administration to Change Course on EV Mandates

Today, Governor Joe Lombardo joined Republican governors across the country to urge President Biden to change course on his Administration’s mandate that two out of every three vehicles be battery electric by 2032.

The letter states that the Biden Administration’s mandates are unrealistic, costly, and prescriptive solutions that harm American consumers. Additionally, the letter notes that while not opposed to the electric vehicle marketplace, the American consumer and the free market should determine the direction and timing for the industry’s growth rather than the federal government.

In the letter, the 16 Republican governors note the increased dependence on China as a national security risk, the limited availability of charging stations, and the prohibitive costs to the American consumer.

Mandates aside, we must also ensure we have the necessary infrastructure to support battery electric vehicles, including grid capacity and reliability, charging stations, and domestic electric vehicle battery production. China currently accounts for 70% of global electric vehicle battery production capacity. Bolstering the domestic critical minerals industry is an essential step to realizing any long-term, responsible electric vehicle battery production. Given China’s current action atop the global electric vehicle production, mandating electric vehicle use too quickly can also present a national security risk.

Additionally, just this summer, we saw the challenges associated with electric vehicles when your own Secretary of Energy, Secretary Granholm, and her staff got caught in an altercation at a charging station while attempting to reserve one of the limited charging spots for the Secretary’s electric vehicle.

There are a number of reasons why consumers are leaving these cars on dealership lots– the cost, the infrastructure required, and the battery content requirements are untenable for today’s car buyers. Even if consumers determine over time that battery electric vehicles are appealing, the reality is that the lack of a strong, domestic marketplace makes electric vehicles prohibitively expensive for the American consumer.

This past week in Chicago, Illinois, reports of dozens of Tesla owners were stranded as they struggled to charge their vehicles as many charging stations were not working amid the freezing cold weather.