[Source / Observer Network, Ruan Jiaqi]
"Every time I read those reports about electric vehicles and charging systems made in China, I can't help but ask myself, 'Why don’t we have these here?'" Michael Bickford from Portland, Maine, has lost count of how many times he has expressed such feelings.
This retired man had been eagerly looking forward to purchasing a Ford electric vehicle. However, during his recent road trip, the poor state of America's charging network completely extinguished his enthusiasm, causing him to abandon his plan to switch from a hybrid car to an electric one.
Bickford lamented, "When I realized how difficult it would be to make this transition in the U.S., I had no choice but to give up."
However, after removing his name from the order list for plug-in trucks, Bickford is still waiting for the day when the U.S. can catch up with China.
In reviewing President Trump's policies towards the electric vehicle industry, which were almost a complete overhaul after he took office, The Washington Post lamented that this will inevitably be a long wait.
In an article on the 25th, this American media outlet pointed out that while China has rapidly risen with its technologically advanced and affordable electric vehicles, taking the lead globally, Trump maintained a negative attitude toward plug-in vehicles, significantly cutting subsidies and halting related projects, severely hindering the development of America's electric vehicle industry.
Paris Motor Show 2024, Visual China
As stated during his campaign, after becoming president, Trump took measures to suppress the electric vehicle industry.
Within just a hundred days in office, Trump froze billions of dollars in funds intended for electric vehicle infrastructure construction, dismantled charging stations in government buildings, and overturned regulations that incentivized automakers to focus on electric vehicle innovation. He attempted to cut various subsidies and tax incentives, even attacking the electric vehicle policies of the previous Biden administration.
Chris Wright, the U.S. Energy Secretary, who was appointed by Trump, was previously an executive in the oil industry. Naturally, he also opposed electric vehicles, advocating for the current policy shift that allows American automakers to focus more on producing traditional gasoline-powered cars.
Meanwhile, under the backdrop of a trade war, Chinese electric vehicles, which already account for a small percentage of exports to the U.S., are even less likely to enter the American market in the short term.
The report concluded that this series of "missteps" by the Trump administration ensured that the U.S. continues to lag behind in the global electric vehicle race. This has also caused American automakers, who once complained about the government's push for electrification being too aggressive, to have new concerns — namely, that abandoning the transition to electrification will bring long-term damage.
Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, former chief global economist at Ford, believes that the world will eventually shift to electric vehicles, and everything is "just a matter of time." Therefore, Trump's policies have placed the automotive industry, crucial to the U.S. economy, in jeopardy.
The American automotive industry also issued early warnings. Last November, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an organization representing all major U.S. automakers, urged Trump in a letter to retain the tax credit policy for electric vehicle buyers and regulations that promote innovation and sales of electric models.
Analysts noted that as plug-in vehicle technology advances rapidly, battery ranges continue to increase, and charging networks expand, consumer preference for electric vehicles is expected to surpass that for gasoline-powered vehicles.
However, analysts also warned that American auto giants' attempts to delay consumers' access to Chinese products through tariffs won't last much longer. Chinese electric vehicles are rapidly rising globally due to their technological superiority and affordable prices.
Alexander Edwards, president of Strategic Vision, a market research firm providing consulting services to automakers, bluntly stated that Chinese electric vehicles attract drivers who were previously uninterested in electric vehicles due to their significant advantages.
According to statistics from the China Passenger Car Association and EV market research company Rho Motion, among over 17 million electric vehicles sold globally in 2024, 76% were produced by Chinese companies. Data from CleanTechnica, a U.S. clean technology news website, shows that 17 of the world’s top 20 plug-in vehicles are Chinese models.
The only American company on the list is Tesla, but its market share is rapidly declining. In the first quarter of this year, Tesla's vehicle deliveries plummeted by 13%.
At a recent meeting held in Washington attended by executives from the automotive, energy, and transportation industries, renowned automotive consultant Michael Dunne sharply remarked, "We are like an isolated island, fragile and no longer competitive."
He believed that blocking Chinese cars through tariffs is merely a temporary measure; the American automotive industry needs to proactively take action to regain competitiveness globally. "We cannot remain confined to North America, hoping for favorable outcomes," he said.
In the face of such urgent voices, some American companies have begun catching up: Ford announced it is adjusting its strategy to replicate the Chinese model, and General Motors is seeking breakthroughs in battery technology.
But another reality stands in their way: America's poor charging infrastructure makes it difficult for American consumers to prioritize electric vehicles in their purchase decisions.
According to The Washington Post, the Biden administration promised to build 500,000 charging stations by 2030, but only a few hundred have been completed. After Trump completely froze federal investment in U.S. charging infrastructure, the installation plan for tens of thousands of charging stations is likely to fail.
At this moment, China has nearly 20 times as many public charging stations as the U.S., and Europe has four times as many as the U.S.
Like Michael Bickford mentioned at the beginning of the article, Hughes-Cromwick, a researcher at the centrist think tank Third Way, also mentioned her driving experience, believing that her journey further highlights how difficult it will be for the U.S. to catch up with China in the electric vehicle sector.
Hughes-Cromwick told The Washington Post that she recently drove a Ford plug-in vehicle from Michigan to New Jersey, and the experience was full of twists and turns.
On the way, she encountered several broken chargers. Once, the charging plug got stuck on the car, and she had to call for help.
At a Walmart in Ohio, when she circled the parking lot searching for a charging station indicated as available on the car's software, she learned from the greeter that the charging station had been removed. At that point, her car's battery range was down to 20 miles, and she nervously managed to barely reach the next usable charging station.
"The situation is unbelievably bad," she said. "This trip was troublesome from the very start."
Hughes-Cromwick believes that automakers can follow Tesla's approach to address the shortage of charging stations. Tesla built its own charging network to match its produced vehicles. This is also the model adopted by China. However, this model is costly and not easy for traditional automakers trying to maintain profit growth.
After dismantling the charging stations, Trump froze the subsidies, causing many automakers to abandon plans to build electric vehicle component factories in the U.S. Some factories were even left half-built. Seeing this dire situation, some supporters of Trump's industrial policies began to feel uneasy.
"They took some measures that disrupted electric vehicle sales and innovation, which is not good," Scott Paul, chairman of the American Manufacturing Alliance, warned. "Automakers will have to tell the Trump administration, 'If you don't stop suppressing clean energy vehicles, there will be half-built factories here.'"
He added, "I hope they will start listening. I believe this administration does not want to leave a legacy like Tennessee, where factories are vacant and parking lots are overgrown with weeds."
The American media lamented that Scott Paul's heartfelt advice clearly fell on deaf ears. Republicans are still busy attacking the "mess" left behind by the Democratic administration's policies.
Ann Carlson, former chief legal counsel of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said, "(The) automotive industry's shortsightedness, failing to foresee the trend toward electrification, has put them in a precarious position. Now, Trump is preventing all efforts to help facilitate this transformation, putting the U.S. in an even more dangerous situation."
This chaos left him deeply concerned. "Without the help of the U.S. government to assist manufacturers in making this transition, (American electric vehicles) cannot compete with the low-cost, high-quality electric vehicles produced in China."
This article is an exclusive contribution by the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497480141413597715/
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