‘Nobody’ expected this twist of the script from the Republican candidate for the US presidency (note the ironic tone). Donald Trump, a close friend of Elon Musk for years, has once again attacked electric cars and all their users, taking away some votes in his favour: “Elon Musk supported me and is a friend of mine… but I am against everyone having an electric car,” he said in statements collected by Reuters.
Little else is known about this outburst, but just a few days ago Trump claimed that electric cars are “amazing.” What is clear is that whatever Trump says, Elon Musk will not be harmed.
The keys to a policy to end the “green scam”
Ambivalence made person. “I talk about electric vehicles all the time, but I don’t mean to say that I’m against them. I’m all for them,” he said a few days ago in statements reported by The New York Times. Moments later, he said: “I’ve driven them and they are incredible, but they are not for everyone.” This ambivalence is not accidental. The former president softened the bellicose tone regarding electrification because he had recently met with Musk. The Tesla founder assures that even Trump is a “big fan of the Cybertruck.”
Electric cars, ok, but without government help. At the time, Trump argued that anyone who wants to should be able to buy an electric car, but not thanks to government incentives of up to $7,500. Musk doesn’t care because some of Tesla’s models don’t meet the requirements for subsidies, so it would only hurt its competitors. He recently said that he will end the “electric vehicle mandate from day one,” alluding to this policy.
Photo by Motorpasión generated by stablediffusionweb.com
Conservatives don’t like electric carsThe truth is that despite the global slowdown that electric vehicles are experiencing – especially in the US – nearly 1.2 million 100% electric cars were sold in the North American country last year, more than four times as many as in 2019. But this path will not continue if political polarization is not softened.
According to one Gallup poll70% of Republicans said they would “not buy” an electric vehicle in the future, compared with 27% of Democrats, and studies from leading universities confirm that purchasing intention is linked to political beliefs. Conservatives believe that electric cars represent a lack of freedom to choose which vehicle to drive, and that their victory would be China’s.
Graphic: The Washington Post.
Musk as presidential advisor. Elon Musk is a major donor to Trump’s campaign and a beloved figure among Republicans, which is why the billionaire founder of Tesla has had many ballots to become a presidential advisor.
What is clear is the direction that government policies regarding electric cars will take if the Republican wins: goodbye aid, hello oil extraction, only cars ‘made in America’ (geographical clarification: with America they refer only to the USA) and goodbye to most of Biden’s environmental regulations. In fact, in relation to protectionist policies, Trump has expressed his intention to put tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico, So Musk has halted construction of his future plant there.
He has also pledged to redirect money from the “new green scam” — a reference to Biden’s policies to fund renewable energy projects — to infrastructure projects like bridges and dams. There’s a reason he hasn’t tired of saying that climate change is a Chinese invention.
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Source: www.motorpasion.com
