EV Opposition: 3,000+ Dealers Request Biden ‘Tap the Brakes’ on Electric Vehicle Push
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David Nadelle
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Cory Dudak
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Despite the lures of energy-efficiency travel, reduced noise, less expensive operating costs and government-endorsed tax credits, American drivers haven’t taken to the electric vehicle (EV) revolution as enthusiastically as expected.
And now, a group of U.S. auto dealers, who are working under the name “EV Voice of the Customer,” are urging President Joe Biden to pump the brakes and relax his aggressive electric vehicle mandates due to lack of demand in the marketplace.
In an open letter to the president dated November 28, 2023, the collective of 3,882 dealers from across 50 states notes that production has outpaced demand and has resulted in lots full of unsold EVs. Despite an increase of EV sales in 2023 (expected to be around 9% of all new passenger vehicles in 2023, per Atlas Public Policy’s EV Hub), consumers haven’t been snapping them up in meaningful numbers.
“Mr. President, it is time to tap the brakes on the unrealistic government electric vehicle mandate,” the letter reads. “Allow time for the battery technology to advance. Allow time to make BEVs more affordable. Allow time to develop domestic sources for the minerals to make batteries.”
“Allow time for the charging infrastructure to be built and prove reliable,” it continues. “And most of all, allow time for the American consumer to get comfortable with the technology and make the choice to buy an electric vehicle.”
According to a White House Fact Sheet earlier this year, the Biden Administration’s “Investing in America” and “EV Acceleration Challenge” initiatives propose a target of 50% of all cars sales to be electric by 2030 (increasing to 67% by 2032) through widespread adoption of EVs by American drivers and company fleets.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Tom Maoli, the founder of New Jersey-based auto group Celebrity Motor Cars, said the president’s mandates are “forcing the consumer to buy something that they don’t want,” amid cost, range and charging infrastructure concerns.
Additionally, Fox Business notes that halting U.S. production on internal combustion engine vehicles and switching over to electric vehicle production too quickly will result in giving more money and manufacturing business to China, who produces an overwhelming amount of the key components used in EVs throughout the world, including lithium-ion batteries, cathodes and anodes.
“These vehicles are ideal for many people, and we believe their appeal will grow over time,” the supporting dealerships wrote in their letter. However, as unsold battery electric vehicle clog their lots, dealers feel Biden’s EV policy efforts are too much, too soon.
“Some customers are in the market for electric vehicles, and we are thrilled to sell them,” states the letter from EV Voice of the Customer. “But the majority of customers are simply not ready to make the change.”
https://evvoiceofthecustomer.com/
https://www.atlasevhub.com/weekly-digest/one-million-evs-sold-through-september-2023/
