Trump claimed he had "no choice" but to back electric vehicles after Musk's endorsement, but then criticized the EV industry extensively. Musk, a long-time advocate for electric vehicles, has led Tesla to the forefront of the industry. However, Musk has recently shifted towards conservative politics, particularly on free speech issues, following his acquisition of Twitter in 2022 and its rebranding to X.
Musk, who has publicly supported Trump since a recent assassination attempt, denied pledging a $45 million donation to a pro-Trump super PAC. During a rally in Georgia, Trump expressed support for electric cars but emphasized the importance of maintaining access to gas vehicles.
"I'm for electric cars. I have to be because, you know, Elon endorsed me very strongly," Trump said. "So, I have no choice." He clarified his support was limited to them being a "small slice" of the auto industry, advocating for gas, hybrid, and electric cars.
Trump criticized the Biden administration's goal to make half of all new vehicle sales electric by 2030, arguing against mandatory electric car ownership. He vowed to eliminate this mandate, emphasizing consumer choice between gasoline, hybrid, and electric cars.
Trump also criticized the cost of installing EV chargers nationwide, providing inconsistent estimates ranging from $5 trillion to $12 trillion. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 allocated $7.5 billion for EV chargers, but only 15 stations have been installed so far, each receiving about $770,000 in federal funding, according to Politico.
Source: Businessinsider