Assignment Task:
The transportation sector is the biggest source of greenhouse gas pollution in the United States. With climate change gaining momentum, moving to electric vehicles (EVs) could be one of the biggest steps the country can take to avoid environmental catastrophe. But doing so would likely require government agencies to dole out tax credits that make EVs more affordable, help build charging networks to alleviate customers' fears of being stranded and ensure workers in the auto and related industries do not become irrelevant as business models change. However, critics say EVs have many problems that need to be addressed, including the dangerous metal mining required to manufacture their batteries and safety issues associated with them. These considerations are all coming to a head as national and state mandates increasingly look to phase out gasoline-powered automobiles.
Shortly after the United Auto Workers (UAW) ended its six-weeklong strike for better wages against the Big Three U.S. automakers - Stellantis (formerly Chrysler), Ford Motor Co. and General Motors - in October 2023, President Biden celebrated the occasion by visiting a Stellantis factory in Belvidere, Ill. The plant had been shuttered earlier in February 2023, but with a new labor pact in place, it will reopen to make light trucks (likely electric) and electric batteries at a new $3.5 billion production facility next door, beginning in 2027. 1
It was a major victory for Biden, who has staked much of his presidency on the idea that the United States can reinvigorate its manufacturing base, provide better benefits for workers and prepare the economy for a shift away from greenhouse gas-spewing industries. Switching from gasoline-powered cars to electric vehicles (EVs) would help him accomplish those goals.
"Sales of electric vehicles here at home have tripled since I took office," Biden told workers in Belvidere, while wearing a red union shirt. "Eighty percent of electric vehicles on the road today were made in America. And that means good-paying jobs for American autoworkers." 2
Biden said his approach was a marked contrast to that of his predecessor and likely opponent in this year's presidential race, former Republican President Donald Trump. "[Trump] said if America invested in electric vehicles, it would drive down wages. It would destroy jobs. It would spell the end of the American automobile industry," Biden said. "Well, like almost everything else he said, he was wrong." 3
But a lot more than Biden's political future hinges on whether the United States can successfully move from vehicles fueled by gasoline and diesel to those powered by electricity. After years of trying to clean up U.S. electric power plants, the transportation sector is now the biggest source of greenhouse gas pollution in the country. With climate change intensifying, moving to EVs could be one of the biggest steps by the United States to avoid environmental catastrophe.Doing so would likely require the work of dozens of government agencies to dole out tax credits that make EVs more affordable, help build charging networks that will alleviate customers' fears of being stranded and make sure that workers in the auto and related industries are not forsaken as business models change. Government and industry will also have to resolve environmental and workforce concerns about battery manufacture and disposal and safety concerns about battery fires and heavier EVs in accidents
Gasoline-powered automobiles have dominated for nearly a century, because they were easier to use and cheaper than their electric counterparts in the 1910s. Fossil fuels have become such an integral part of our transportation system that U.S. highways are largely built and maintained by tax revenues from the sale of gasoline and diesel fuel. (See Short Feature, "EV Transition Would Require New Funding Model.")
Today, many hope electric vehicles will replace those fueled by gasoline in the next few decades, as the EV market share is at or near the "tipping point" of roughly 5 percent of new sales, which experts say is the amount needed to bring about such a large change. 4
Currently, there are 2.4 million EVs on U.S. roads, which is approximately 1 percent of vehicles in use. And U.S. consumers appear to be buying more of them. Electric vehicles made up 7.6 percent of new car sales in 2023, compared to 5.9 percent the year before. More automakers are getting in the game, too. As recently as 2022, Teslas accounted for 75 percent of EVs sold in the country. By the third quarter of 2023, they made up only half of new EV sales, as Hyundai, Mercedes, Nissan and Volvo posted large growth in the sector. On top of that, hybrid vehicles that use both gasoline and electricity are gaining popularity, with more than a million sold in the United States in 2023, a 76 percent increase from the year before.
1. How does the issue in the resource relate to environmental quality and equity issues? Need Assignment Help?
2. Who is impacted by the same issue in the resource, and who would be responsible for fixing the issue?