Detroit auto show rebounds after 3 years as Biden promote electric vehicles
The Detroit motor show is back after a three-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 30 brands are showcasing their latest electric vehicles. This is as the US market starts to shift toward eco-friendly models.
US giants Ford Motor and General Motors are highlighting electric versions of their pickup trucks and SUVs. Both vehicle categories are popular in North America.
US President Joe Biden visited the venue on an opening day Wednesday apparently reinforcing his administration’s efforts to promote electric vehicles. He expressed confidence about the future of America’s EV industry saying, “My economic agenda has ignited a historic manufacturing boom here in America”.
He was at the North American International Auto Show to plug the huge new climate, tax, and health care law that offers tax incentives for buying electric vehicles. He toured a mix of American-manufactured hybrid, electric, and combustion vehicles from Chevrolet, General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis on a closed-off convention center floor.
“You all know I’m a car guy,” Biden told a roaring crowd of autoworkers, adding that cars “just give me a sense of optimism — although I like the speed too.”
Biden’s 2021 infrastructure legislation signed into law on August 16 could have something to do with the huge credit he earns for the recent boom in electric vehicle battery and assembly plant announcements. it provides $5 billion over five years to help states create a network of electronic vehicle charging stations.
In Detroit, Biden announced the approval of the first $900 million in infrastructure money to build EV chargers across 53,000 miles of the national highway system in 34 states and Puerto Rico.
Government figures show more than 15 million new vehicles were sold in the United States last year. EVs accounted for 4.1 percent of the total. That was up from 2.2 percent in the previous year.
