US Democrat running mate supports EVs

US Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s running mate Minnesota governor Tim Walz championed EVs for his state and intends similar nationally.

That’s according to InsideEVs which says if Harris wins the November election then Walz (60) – a strong EV advocate – will need to defend not only Minnesota’s EV policies but also the current administration’s landmark climate initiatives.

“These policies have infused billions of dollars into the US auto industry, helping automakers localise EV and battery production while also enabling the build-out of critical infrastructure such as charging stations,” says InsideEVs.

It adds that Walz pushed for Minnesota to adopt California’s strict tailpipe emissions standards in 2021.

“His efforts spearheaded Minnesota to become the first Midwestern state, and one of 17 states overall, to implement the Golden State’s strict emissions standards.”

Walz faced strong opposition to his “clean car” rules, which encouraged increased EV and hybrid adoption, including a major legal challenge from auto dealers, says InsideEVs.

It says the rules took effect from January this year and require Minnesota to increase the share of electric cars to 20% by 2030, meaning one in five cars would have to be electric by the end of the decade.

The Minnesota Auto Dealers Association attempted to sue the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for alleged regulatory overreach and the case escalated to the US Supreme Court which ruled in favour of the EV regulations and declined the group’s appeal, says InsideEVs, adding that former US president Donald Trump has threatened to repeal Biden’s EV policies and is highly unlikely to keep EV sales and industry subsidies going. 

“But trusting Trump and his running mate senator JD Vance with EV policies is like putting cavemen in charge of a spaceship. If Trump’s bromance with (Tesla chief executive Elon) Musk falls apart, the auto industry, which is deeply invested in EVs, could face chaos,” says InsideEVs.

“Above all, the EPA has said that the transportation sector accounts for nearly 30% of America’s greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, there’s broad consensus among the scientific community that EVs would help bring these emissions down,” says InsideEVs, adding that Harris’s EV policies remain unclear.

“But the auto industry is already praying for more ‘regulatory certainty’ as it fears a reversal of policy could put years of work and billions of dollars in EV development at risk.”