Summary
- EV policy was a top issue for Michigan voters in the 2024 Presidential election
- Negative messaging may have helped deliver Michigan to Donald Trump
- Pro-Trump ads spread misinformation about EV policies
- Michigan voters were largely misinformed about the benefits of EV investment in the state
- Consequences of Trump administration potentially curbing EV investments and incentives
Article
The 2024 Presidential election in Michigan saw EV policy emerge as a significant issue for voters, with negative messaging potentially playing a role in delivering the key swing state to Donald Trump. The American EV Jobs Alliance conducted a postmortem report that revealed over $30 million had been spent on television ads related to EVs in Michigan, accounting for 94% of the total spending on EV-related political ads nationwide. Pro-Trump ads focused on an erroneous narrative that Vice President Kamala Harris would ban internal-combustion cars if elected, leading to job losses in the state’s auto industry.
The report found that Democrats largely did not respond with ads defending their EV policies, with 89% of ads attacking Democrats. This negative messaging appeared to have an impact, as a poll conducted two weeks before the election showed that twice as many Michigan voters believed that a push for more EVs would be detrimental to Michigan jobs. Additionally, 73% of auto-industry households shared this belief, with over half of voters thinking that promoting more EV sales would be negative for the state. More than a third also believed that Democrats planned to ban gasoline vehicles.
Despite Michigan gaining nearly 20,000 new manufacturing jobs from EV investments, many voters were unaware of these gains and examples of success due to the lack of positive ads mentioning them. Examples included the EV conversion of GM’s Lansing Grand River plant, which was at risk of closing but received $500 million in federal funds allocated by the Biden administration. The report concluded that the failure to communicate these successes effectively contributed to the negative perceptions of EV policies among Michigan voters.
As a result of Michigan voters potentially being misinformed about EV policies, the incoming Trump administration is expected to curtail EV investments. Reports indicate that Trump offered to eliminate EV incentives in exchange for a $1 billion donation for Big Oil, and ending the federal EV tax credit is said to be a priority for his transition team. Additionally, while there may be opportunities for negotiations with companies like China’s CATL for a U.S. battery factory, the Republican party has drafted legislation to eliminate subsidies for batteries using Chinese technology. Michigan voters may soon experience the consequences of their actions in the EV policy space.
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