Summary
- Michigan is receiving a significant amount of private investments and job creation for electrified vehicles
- Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan, had to address skepticism about EVs in her election campaign
- The EV Politics Project and American EV Jobs Alliance aim to de-politicize EVs in the US
- GOP voters are turned off by EVs due to costs, lack of charging infrastructure, and climate change messaging
- The podcast discusses challenges in convincing people to switch to EVs, developments in extended-range EVs, and solid-state battery prototypes.
Article
The state of Michigan is experiencing a surge in private investments and job creation in the field of electrified vehicles, with almost $9 billion invested and 14,000 new jobs being created. However, last fall, Democrat Elissa Slotkin, who supported Joe Biden and later Kamala Harris, ran ads expressing uncertainty about the shift towards electric vehicles in her campaign for the U.S. Senate. Despite this approach, Slotkin’s successful election raises questions about how electric vehicles became politicized and what can be done to address this issue as the global auto industry moves towards electrification.
Mike Murphy, a longtime GOP strategist and supporter of electric vehicles, is working to de-politicize the issue through the EV Politics Project and the American EV Jobs Alliance. He believes that while it may not be catastrophic if everyone drives Chinese EVs, it would still be disheartening. Polling conducted by his group shows that years of climate change messaging have turned off many voters to electric vehicles, and a focus on aspects like job creation and competition with China has not resonated. Murphy is working to change the narrative and bring more people on board with the transition to electric vehicles.
In a recent interview, Murphy discussed the reasons why many GOP voters are skeptical of electric vehicles, such as concerns about costs and infrastructure. He also touched on the potential influence of figures like Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump in the future of the electric vehicle industry, as well as strategies to change public perception. Additionally, the interview covered news about extended-range electric vehicles from Scout and Ram, as well as developments in solid-state battery prototypes from Mercedes-Benz.
The discussion highlights the importance of addressing the political divide surrounding electric vehicles and finding common ground to move forward with the transition to electrified transportation. By focusing on factors like job creation and economic competitiveness, advocates like Mike Murphy hope to shift the public perception and encourage more widespread adoption of electric vehicles. The podcast episode featuring Murphy’s insights is available on the InsideEVs YouTube channel and major audio platforms, with new episodes released every Friday. To stay updated on the latest developments in the electric vehicle industry, listeners are encouraged to subscribe and leave a review.
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