Biden Wants Union Made EVs, but the Chevy Bolt Is the Only One Made in the U.S.
It’s infrastructure week, and part of President Biden’s plans is to make sure driving an EV is something any American can do. This means many things, and one of the biggest investments will be in charging infrastructure around the country. That said, while President Biden wants more EVs in America, he also wants those EVs to be made by unions in America, like the Chevy Bolt.
Automakers are pivoting to EVs, but many don’t use union labor
A lot of automakers from around the world have recently announced their EV plans for the future. Many, for example, have set a target date of 2030. Plans will vary depending on the automaker, but they are all driving toward the same destination.
With that being said, while big American automakers like Ford and Tesla are producing EVs, those EVs are either not being made by union labor, or Americans are not making them. Tesla, which does make EVs in America, does not use union labor to make those EVs. Ford, on the other hand, does use union labor to make some of its cars. However, not all Fords are built by union hands.
According to Green Car Reports, Ford’s only EV right now, the Mustang Mach-E, is built in Mexico. As such, Ford doesn’t use union labor for the Mach-E right now. This is a similar story for other automakers, according to Green Car Reports. The Nissan Leaf is built in Tennessee, but it doesn’t use union labor. The Volkswagen ID.4 is built by unions, but unions in Germany.
The Chevy Bolt is the exception, for now
Green Car Reports said that the only EV made by an American auto union is the Chevy Bolt. It’s built by General Motor’s plants in Michigan, and GM isn’t afraid to brag about it. Like Green Car Reports wrote, the Chevy Bolt comes with a sticker that mentions where the Bolt was assembled and by whom.
But, while the Bolt is currently the only EV made by American unions, it won’t be in the future. Green Car Reports said that, shortly, EVs like the Ford F-150 Lightning, GMC Hummer EV, and Chevy Silverado EV would all be built in Michigan as well. On top of that, President Biden wants to encourage automakers to build more EVs with American unions with some incentives.
Green Car Reports said that one of the proposals President Biden is supporting is expanding the federal EV tax credit. There will no longer be a 200,000 unit sales cap, and the tax credit will be expanded by $5,000. The expansion will have two parts. EVs made in America will get an additional $2,500 credit, while EVs made by unions will get another $2,500. As such, EVs made in America by unions can be $12,500 cheaper.
Great news for the Chevy Bolt and other Chevy EVs
While some EVs are affordable, many Americans are still waiting for EVs to be even cheaper. If that proposal becomes a reality, then EVs can become very cheap. For example, the Bolt currently gets 259 miles on a single charge, but it still costs $31,000 before any incentives. If those incentives pass, then a brand-new Bolt can cost $18,500.
This proposal would help the Chevy Bolt EUV, which is a bigger version of the Bolt. The Bolt EUV gets about 247 miles on a single charge, but it’ll cost $34,000. Including the max incentive, the Bolt EUV can cost $21,500 instead. Plus, while the Bolt is an affordable EV, it also has advanced features, such as GM’s Super Cruise technology. So overall, these proposals would do wonders for the Bolt and the Bolt EUV.
