Biden-Harris Administration Announces $15.5 Billion to Support a Strong and Just Transition to Electric Vehicles, Retooling Existing Plants, and Rehiring Existing Workers

Loans are costs too. It's tying up capital that could be used elsewhere

This isn't going to put a dent in climate change. It just isn't. Wake me up when we change our stance on Nuclear since that is the only thing that will bolster renewable energy, which is a stop gap.

Furthermore, if the US government actually cared about fighting climate change they would invest in public transportation across the country, making those EV, since they A. Go shorter distances and B. Can carry more people, and they would also tax the shit out of the fossil fuel industry and manufacturing sector for their wonton pollution. It's called internalizing the externalities and it needed to happen 10 years ago. We're so fucked.

Stopping climate change by...

Removing fossil fuels from the grid? Reducing methane leakage in natural gas transmission? Developing domestic nuclear energy?

Maybe reducing car-dependency to make more efficient use of land and reduce the excessive amounts of taxpayer money being dumped to subsidize suburban development? Reducing inefficient flights between close cities (LAX-SFO, BOS-JFK-DCA)? Building more efficient buildings?

How about taking advantage of the already insanely efficient supply chains in China that allow for the development of sub-10k EVs? Helping those companies launch in the US and bring their expertise with them to accelerate the EV transition like China has?

Nah, let's just give some more money to a few big EV manufacturers, I'm sure that'll fix everything.

The only way to stop climate change is to drastically reduce the human population.

How often do you drive more than 100 miles away? People average 33 miles a day in the US and less than 1% of trips are over 100 miles. I would venture to guess almost never. Range is really not much of an issue for 99% of people. The only instances where charge time is an issue is those less than 1% of trips that are over 100 miles.

Maintenance is also not much of an issue. There is significantly less maintenance with an EV. For the battery, they generally hold their charge pretty damn well and most can go 300k miles before their full battery level degrades to 80% of the original range.

Not saying their are not issues because there absolutely are. But the issue with them is affordability and charging infrastructure reliability. At least in the US, we have a mediocre amount of fast charge stations but one of the main providers, Electrify America, has shit reliability. You would think VW, who was forced to build the Electrify America system, would actually want to make it profitable and also use it as PR showing that they have changed. But nope. They treat it like the red headed step child that they were forced to do and resent it. Fuck VW.

Mileage seems fine to me. My gas car gets 260-280 maybe. Electric hits similar numbers.

Charge times are getting pretty low too. 20 minutes is becoming common to hear a new car doing 20-80%. That’s slower than gas but also I’ll only do that in a pinch. Most charging will be at home during the night.

The maintenance differences are a mixed bag though. I think a lot of EVs will be essentially disposed of once the batteries are showing age.

If the phone industry can reach us anything it is manufacturers will make it expensive to change or not make the batteries.

With all that said. Giving car companies money to help them mine rare metals in 3rd world countries, buy motors from China, assemble cars in Mexico and the US…idk how that makes financial sense.

And before anyone tells me the money is only for US plants…I’ll ask you to get real.

They’re working on improving range, it just isn’t there yet. Recharge overnight at home if you have a garage and it will likely never be a problem, in the vent you don’t have a place to charge slowly overnight or need a charge up on a trip then super chargers are being added all over the place daily, with government investment helping that as well. The maintenance routine is nothing, you need a new battery after nearly a decade, most people are getting a new car on that schedule, even if you plan to keep a car for decades you’ll have major repairs/replacements on a ice vehicle just as much if not more than electric.

Swapping ice to electric isn’t that difficult, ford even sells a crate electric motor and the tools/instructions to replace a gas engine with it in nearly any vehicle.

I fully agree that the government needs to set guidelines, controls, and a series of deep audits over several decades to ensure this money is being spent appropriately. Too often they just hand out cash to corps with no follow up to make sure it didn’t get spent on bonuses

And that's good. But what would be better for the planet would be building up a public transportation system so robust that cars are unnecessary outside of rural areas.

oh no, won't someone think of the... checks notes... classic car enthusiasts?

It’s well on its way. And most people charge at home day to day.

Cash for Clunkers impacted the used car market for well over a decade.

Is that something that's even remotely viable? I mean I'm sure it's technically possible but there's way more to it than just an engine swap, I'm not sure it would be any cheaper than just building a new car.

A policy decision would be to mandate that no new cars use combustion by the end of the decade and for the government to use its regulatory powers to approve electrical grid infrastructure project, approve new nuclear plants asap, and incentivize the creation of battery recycling businesses, such as through making alternative energy companies tax free entities instead of mega churches.

I just don't understand what's so green about electric cars? Lithium mining plus everything else associated with the manufacturing process doesn't seem too green to me.

I prefer electric bikes.

You are right I updated my comment as I mentioned in the update I really didn't expect to have that kind of a response so I didn't bother putting more work into it and I should have.