WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) – Senior Biden administration officials and auto leaders agree that electric vehicle charging station infrastructure should provide an interoperable experience based on any car model.
The White House said a virtual meeting was held Wednesday with top auto leaders, including Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk and General Motors (GM.N)CEO Mary Barra to discuss electric vehicles and charging.
“There was broad consensus that charging stations and vehicles should be interoperable and provide a seamless user experience, no matter what vehicle you drive or where you charge your electric vehicle,” the department said in a statement.
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Musk has always been at loggerheads with the White House, frequently launching harsh tweets directed at President Joe Biden. In February, Biden publicly acknowledged Tesla’s role in making American electric cars, after Musk repeatedly complained of being ignored.
Congress last year approved $7.5 billion in government funding for electric vehicle charging stations, but the legislation stopped short of introducing new tax incentives for the purchase and construction of electric vehicles.
Biden wants at least 50% of new cars by 2030 to be electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Ford Motor (FN)CEO Jim Farley, parents of Chrysler Stylantis (STLA.MI) CEO Carlos Tavares, Lucid (LCID.O) CEO Peter Rawlinson and Nissan Americas (7201.T) President Jeremy Papin was among other auto leaders who took part in Wednesday’s meeting, which discussed US funding to “create a nationwide network of 500,000 chargers.”
On Thursday, Farley posted a tweet praising the meeting’s focus on shipping, including commercial vehicles.
The meeting was also attended by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy and Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu.
Granholm said Thursday on Twitter that it was a “very productive meeting – while we’re rolling out electric vehicles and charging for infrastructure, CEOs have been very vocal about the government’s role as a partner in electrifying the transportation sector.”
Executives of Hyundai Motor America (005380.KS)America’s Subaru (9778.T)Mazda North America, Toyota Motor North America, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBGn.DE) And Kia Motors America (000270.KS) Share too.
Each auto executive took about 90 seconds to talk about their electric vehicle plans and talked about a wide range of issues related to electric vehicles, including supply chain concerns for batteries, one company executive told Reuters. Biden last week invoked the Defense Production Act in an effort to boost US production of the metals needed for electric vehicles.
Last week, automakers backed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) tougher vehicle emissions regulations in a lawsuit brought by some states and ethanol groups.
Corn growers, Valero Energy (VLO.N) Affiliate ethanol producers and other ethanol producers said new EPA rules that review emissions requirements through 2026 “effectively mandate the production and sale of electric vehicles rather than vehicles powered by internal combustion engines.”
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David Shepardson News. Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Bradley Perrett, and Bernard Orr
Our criteria: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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