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The North American automotive industry is undergoing a transformation driven by the electric vehicle (EV) transition, post-pandemic supply chain shifts, and increasing US protectionism. As the largest vehicle supplier to the US, Mexico faces both opportunities and risks in this evolving landscape. With 42% of its passenger vehicle production tied to US automakers and nearly 70% of its total output destined for the US, Mexico’s automotive industry is particularly vulnerable to the recently announced 25% tariffs on Mexican auto imports.

“But not every electric car will be able to take advantage of ultra-fast charging stations,” says Gil Tal at the University of California, Davis. Read more here...

“There’s a big economic opportunity there,” says Alan Jenn, an electric-car expert at the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis. Read more here...

Dahlia Garas, manager of the UC Davis Electric Vehicle Research Center, tests the reliability of an electric vehicle station operated by Electrify America, in downtown Sacramento on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. Read more here...

“I think that we will buy less new cars altogether, which is not good for the economy and the environment,” said Gil Tal, director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center at UC Davis. “Because new cars — electric and gas — are usually more efficient and clean.” Read more here...

“We have about a million home chargers in California,” said Gil Tal, a professor with the UC Davis Research Center. 

Tal said many merchants are now installing chargers as a way to attract customers and boost revenue. Read more here...

“Credit prices are going to start going up if these regulations stay in place,” said Daniel Sperling, director of the Institute for Transportation Studies at University of California, Davis. He helped create the current regulatory credit system when he was a member of the California Air Resources Board. Read more here...

“The state of California is supposed to get couple of 100 millions out of it. The idea of this program was not just to send  money to one company that install all the charges and get the best value for charger, but to create the capacity in every state,” said Gil Tal the Director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center.” Read more here...

“‘For EVs in the U.S., this is somewhere between problematic and a disaster,’ said Dan Sperling, a former California Air Resources Board member and director of the Institute for Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis.” Read more here...

“’It’s certainly compelling,’ said professor Daniel Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis. He noted that the fees could yield two benefits at once: “capturing the value” of curb space — a scarce resource in San Francisco — while also managing traffic.” Read more here...

“It’s become much more political than it should be, but that’s part of the story,” said Dr. Gil Tal, director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center at UC Davis.” Read more...

“The shift towards electric vehicles is becoming more pronounced, with growing public interest beyond affluent consumers. As Gil Tal, director of EV research at UC Davis, points out, the rising demand for charging infrastructure reflects changing trends in vehicle ownership.” Read more...

The global shift to electric vehicles is in high gear, but it remains uncertain whether the US will reap the benefits of being a global leader in this transition. Putting the brakes on progress now would put hundreds of billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs across the US at risk, and it would allow foreign manufacturers to gain a competitive edge over the US auto industry. Scaling back deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) would also undermine efforts to limit climate change.

Note: this article was updated on Oct 1 after the Governor signed/vetoed all bills.

Widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) is a key strategy to help reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses and pollutants. To help implement this strategy, US federal and state agencies, utilities, and private companies are investing billions of dollars in public PEV charging infrastructure.