Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris' team says she “does not support” an electric vehicle (EV) mandate, despite Harris' past support for legislation that would effectively mandate the adoption of EVs.
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The controversy over Harris' stance on electric vehicles began when Amar Moosa, emergency manager for Harris' campaign, accused Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Donald Trump's running mate, of “lying and gaslighting” Harris' stance. In a campaign email, Moosa “fact-checked” the claim that “VP Harris wants to force all Americans to own electric vehicles” and clarified that “VP Harris does not support an electric vehicle mandate.” He argued that the Biden-Harris administration is focused on encouraging, rather than mandating, the production of electric vehicles.
Moussa listed several of his administration's initiatives to encourage EV use, including creating “tens of thousands of new clean energy jobs” in Michigan and offering “groundbreaking grants” and tax credits for EV purchases.
Strict EPA Regulations
Not surprisingly, the official did not mention the new tailpipe emissions standards introduced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in March this year, called the “Multiple Pollutant Emissions Standards for Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles for Model Year 2027 and Beyond.” According to a House Budget Committee explanation, the standards are designed to encourage automakers to increase production of electric vehicles by “effectively (banning)” the sale of gasoline-powered and conventional hybrid vehicles.
The United States Oil & Gas Association (USOGA), one of the oldest trade groups representing the oil and gas industry, highlighted a new rule that would require 56% of new cars sold to be electric by 2032. According to USOGA, the rule stems from the Reduce Inflation Act, which Senator Kamala Harris supported with a deciding vote in August 2022.
USOGA detailed the strict requirements of this rule:
Fact: The rule requires that 44% of new cars sold in 2030 and 56% of new cars sold in 2032 be EVs.
Fact: Under the rules, gasoline-powered vehicles, which make up more than 90% of the market, will be reduced to 29% by 2032.
While these tough “climate” regulations stop short of outright mandates, they signal the strongest federal push toward electrification in U.S. history.
Harris' EV support track record
Harris' campaign maintains that she does not support forcing Americans to adopt electric vehicles, but her legislative record and the Biden administration's actions tell a different story.
As a California senator, she co-sponsored the Zero Emission Vehicles bill in 2019, which had the goal of mandating that 50% of new cars sold in the U.S. be zero-emission vehicles by 2030 and 100% by 2040.
According to an archived page from Harris' 2020 campaign website unearthed by the Washington Free Beacon, Harris also supported a more aggressive bill calling for a total ban on non-zero emission vehicles by 2035. The bill would give the EPA the authority to enforce the mandate, reflecting Harris' previous commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and “combating climate change.”
Harris also advocated for the auto industry to transition more quickly to EV production. “The auto industry is clearly transitioning to electric vehicles,” she said in 2021. “This transition needs to happen faster, and the United States needs to lead the way.”
Green New Deal
Harris’ past support for the Green New Deal further underscores her previous stance against strict “environmental” reform.
“The Green New Deal is a bold plan to dramatically transition our country to 100% clean, renewable energy,” Harris said in a Medium post the day the Senate introduced a resolution supporting the bill, saying she was “proud” to support the bill.
In July of this year, she won the endorsement of the Green New Deal Network, a powerful coalition of various organizations and advocacy groups that support the principles and policies outlined in the Green New Deal.
School bus and charging station
In addition, since taking office as Vice President, Harris has been active in promoting the Biden Administration's “clean energy” initiatives, including the Clean School Bus Program. Launched as part of the 2021 infrastructure bill, the initiative aims to replace traditional diesel-powered school buses with electric or low-emission alternatives. The program is backed by the EPA, which has allocated $5 billion in funding for these new buses. Harris has highlighted the initiative's role in reducing air pollution, improving children's health, and advancing the Administration's broader climate goals.
She has also been actively involved in promoting the Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan, which aims to accelerate the rollout of EV charging infrastructure across the country in support of the Administration's goal of 50% of new vehicle sales being electric vehicles by 2030. The plan includes $7.5 billion from the 2021 infrastructure bill to install a national network of 500,000 EV chargers.
Both programs have faced challenges in meeting their goals, and deployment of new electric school buses and charging stations has had very limited success.
Trump has also changed
While Sen. Kamala Harris is trying to address the fallout from her long history with electric vehicles, her opponent, President Donald Trump, now appears to be softening his stance on the issue.
In July, Trump, an ardent critic of “climate change” regulations, called Biden's EV subsidies a “new green scam” and promised to repeal them.
But after receiving an endorsement from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Trump acknowledged at a rally, “I support electric cars. I have no choice because Elon has endorsed me so strongly. So I have no choice.”
Still, Trump told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo in early August that while he “likes Tesla,” only a small portion of the auto market should be electric vehicles, citing concerns that the U.S., unlike China, lacks the natural resources needed for widespread production of EVs.
Last week, he said he “may” eliminate the EV tax credit and said he was open to offering Musk a Cabinet adviser position.
