Will EVs be promoted in a gasoline powerhouse? -Ideal and reality of the new administration-January 27, 13:44

Engine sounds echoing in a snowy country town in the Midwestern United States.

"I can't complain about my car,"

said a man driving a pickup truck when asked about his interest in electric vehicles.

With an expression that says this is an American car.

The first job of President Biden, who took office on January 20, is to return to the Paris Agreement.

The new administration emphasizes international cooperation and expresses its intention to promote measures against global warming such as the spread of electric vehicles and renewable energy.

However, if environmental policy becomes radical, the division of the people that plagues the country may deepen.

(Washington Bureau Reporter Yosuke Yoshitake)

The model is California

What concrete measures will President Biden take?

The hint is in California.

It is the state that has introduced the strictest environmental regulations in the United States, which has strong state independence.

For electric vehicles, use incentives as well as regulations.

Priority is set up in areas where highways are heavily congested.

During the morning and evening commuting hours, if two or more people are not on the gasoline car, this lane cannot be driven. If it is an electric car, there is no such condition.

The policy is to "tickle the senses" that if you buy an electric car, you will not suffer from daily traffic jams.

In addition, the state government has announced a goal to ban the sale of new gasoline vehicles by 2035.

Hybrid cars, which are the strength of Japanese people, will no longer be available for sale.

The keyword is "zero emission," which does not emit exhaust gas while driving.

New industry generated by investment fever

Most of the electric cars you see in the state are Tesla cars born in the state.

Tesla's stock price has recorded a tremendous increase of eight times over the past year.

This investment fever will also boost the growth of emerging EV makers.

Faraday Future, which has been in business for 6 years in Los Angeles, had some difficulties in raising funds, but its management is stable due to the growing momentum of the EV shift.

During this time, there was a meditation to start selling.

The completed car is equipped with an automatic door that opens with double doors, a liquid crystal panel that guides the way when you talk and plays music, and a safety system that uses artificial intelligence to reduce collisions.

I took a test drive in the back seat, but the acceleration power when I stepped on the accelerator was remarkable.

The price has not been announced, but it is expected to be tens of millions of yen.

Still, it says that it has already reserved 8300 units.

The number of employees has also increased to 300.

"We will expand sales to Asia," said Robert Cruz.

Government-led promotion of electric vehicles will create new industries.

It's a concept drawn by the Biden administration.

Gasoline powerhouse

However, when you leave the city, the scenery changes drastically.

7 hours by plane and car.

Arrived in a rural town in Midwest Ohio.

I chose this place because of the thriving automobile and oil industries and the fact that Mr. Trump got more votes than Mr. Biden in this presidential election.

You can't find an electric car or a charging station overlooking the city.

When I stopped by the gas station to hear what I thought of the electric car, large cars came one after another and filled it with gasoline.

That should be it.

In the United States, the mileage per vehicle is more than three times that of Japan.

Oil consumption is the highest in the world.

A particularly eye-catching is the large pickup truck.

I heard the following voices from the drivers.

Pickup truck driver

"I use this car because I sometimes tow a trailer at work. Electric cars don't have the power."

"If you have a cheap pickup truck that runs on electricity,

you

have to think about it."

Electric vehicles can be said to be a symbol of environmental policy, but there are many issues that need to be improved.

The number of charging stations, the distance that can be traveled on a single charge, and the high price of the car body.

The pickup truck "Hummer EV" announced by GM = General Motors last year.

It was shown that even electric vehicles can make large vehicles, but the price of the model to be sold is the cheapest in the 11 million yen range.

To be able to run a large car without worrying about running out of charge, it needs to be loaded with a large amount of batteries, which is not yet affordable.

Anxiety about loss of employment

There is also a backlash against employment threats.

"When the era of electric vehicles comes, we will have to go out of business."

Matt Shipley, who runs an auto maintenance company in Ohio, said with a sigh.

It's a small town factory with three employees.

Electric vehicles powered by motors have a significantly different structure from gasoline-powered vehicles equipped with engines, so employees must be re-educated and new capital investment is required.

Shipley said he was against forcing it to spread.

It is said that electric vehicles have two-thirds fewer parts than gasoline-powered vehicles.

A US Congressional study reports that if all cars were turned into electric cars, the parts industry alone could affect 25% of employment.

In early January, when I was interviewing, GM announced that it would renew the company logo.

The new logo is in lowercase and uses light blue.

As for the reason, GM said, "We are at a turning point toward the mass introduction of electric vehicles."

It also announced that it will launch 30 electric vehicles by the end of 2025.

The EV strategy of America's largest car maker is likely to affect the country's engine industry, which has been built over 100 years since the birth of the T-type Ford.

President's skill to be questioned

Global warming countermeasures are an issue that humankind cannot escape.

However, employment is deteriorating in the United States today due to the effects of the new coronavirus.

If some people lose their place to work due to radical environmental policies, there is a risk of creating a backlash.

It was only four years ago that Mr. Trump attracted a large number of people by appealing for employment rather than the environment.

How will President Biden take measures against global warming, which could be a painful reform, in the deepening division of the United States?

Even for Japan, where the automobile-related industry employs more than 5 million people, it is not a fire on the opposite bank, and we must keep an eye on the policies of the new Biden administration.

Washington Bureau Reporter

Yosuke Yoshitake

Joined

Nagoya Bureau in

2004

After working at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, he is currently affiliated.