A new report by America First Policy Institute concludes that 123,000 autoworkers could lose their jobs due to the Biden-Harris administration’s regulations requiring 70% of new cars sold to be electric by 2032.
Banning all sales of gasoline-powered cars, as California and 15 other states have proposed, would result in almost 200,000 lost automaker jobs—primarily in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, the report concludes. Among the winners: China.
Other estimates show greater job losses. Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley said at a conference in Detroit in 2022 that “it takes 40% less labor to make an electric car.” With over a million workers now employed in auto and parts manufacturing, that’s a loss of 400,000 jobs, twice the estimate of America First Policy Institute, which was founded by former Trump administration officials.
Layoffs are happening in real time. This summer, after receiving over $500 million in government grants to make batteries and electric vehicles, Stellantis announced job losses for 2,500 workers in Michigan who make popular Ram trucks.
Americans are losing jobs because of a product they don’t even want to buy. This year, over 5,000 car dealers wrote to President Joe Biden, saying: “Electric vehicle sales are not remotely on trend to meet those [Environmental Protection Agency] requirements. Indeed, the day supply of electric vehicles on dealer lots today is nearly twice the supply of conventional vehicles. … We now ask that you hit the brakes.”
The 400,000 lost jobs forecast by Ford’s Farley are only in auto manufacturing. The number doesn’t account for job losses among mechanics at dealerships and local garages who now repair gasoline-powered vehicles.
A million American workers are employed in car repair and maintenance; electric vehicles need less maintenance. (The AFPI report specifically excludes them from its job loss calculations.)
But repair jobs are vital for American workers. No oil changes or tuneups are needed for electric vehicles, but when drivers need to replace their $15,000 EV batteries, they buy new ones. If one-quarter of the million mechanics lost their jobs due to the Biden-Harris EV mandate, that’s a loss of another 250,000 jobs.
Similarly, a 2020 report from Germany’s National Platform Future of Mobility concluded that 400,000 German autoworkers would lose their jobs due to electrification. China exported 5 million vehicles around the world in 2023. The Chinese auto giant BYD will sell its Seagull EV in Germany in 2025 for $12,500, undercutting German automakers.
As China expands in EVs, Jeep has left China. Sales of GM and Ford vehicles in China are half of what they were in 2017.
And here’s the dirty little secret: The hundreds of thousands of jobs lost to Americans and Europeans are going to Chinese workers.
China produces 66% of global EVs and 85% of batteries. These sales are driven by subsidies from the Chinese Communist Party, including tax credits, forced labor, unregulated coal-fired power plants, and low-interest loans.
While China has an unfair advantage in EVs, U.S. companies dominate in larger vehicles such as pickup trucks and SUVs. But American companies are being required—through final rules promulgated by the Biden-Harris administration’s Environmental Protection Agency and Transportation Department—to produce electric vehicles rather than the cars their customers want to buy.
Besides transferring jobs to China, Chinese electric vehicles have the potential to send data back to China as a way to spy on Americans. EVs would be far more effective than spy balloons at collecting important data, and at far lower cost, because Americans would purchase these vehicles. For similar security reasons, the Federal Communications Commission banned Huawei and ZTE technology in 2022.
Chinese EVs also would allow the ruling Chinese Communist Party to assemble an unprecedented trove of Americans’ personal data. When consumers buy cars, they provide information on addresses, driver’s licenses, credit cards, and insurance. When drivers get loans, auto companies can access credit history, including mortgages, other loans, and additional credit cards. America should not give this to the CCP.
Further, just as General Motors’ OnStar program advertises that it can stop or disable stolen vehicles, America should not give the Chinese Communist Party power to stop or disable EVs driven in America. If OnStar can do this, Chinese car companies undoubtedly have the technology—as well as potentially disabling braking and navigation systems.
With the recent Supreme Court decision in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, requiring agencies to follow congressional statutes, the Biden-Harris regulations on electric vehicles will face strong legal challenges. Americans deserve their choice of vehicles, and the Biden-Harris administration should not use regulations to ship American jobs offshore.
Diana Furchtgott-Roth is director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment and the Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow in Energy and Environmental Policy at The Heritage Foundation.
Reprinted with Permission From The Daily Signal – By Diana Furchtgott-Roth
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
Someone needs to remind the morons in political that the so called “carbon footprint” of an EV is substantially greater than that of a traditional gas powered vehicle. They should also be reminded that the US is dead broke, that there is NO infrastructure in place for charging stations for these dreadful 4 wheel toasters, industry will not build such infrastructure as the purchasing market for the to be charged vehicles simply isnt there.
Now, if one wants to promote using batteries as a vehicle power source, perhaps using logic might come in handy and that even more research be done directed toward hybrid vehicles such as the Prius and other brands/models. That tech works and there is actually a market for said vehicles. Of course asking our government “betters” to apply logic to their policy decisions is nonsensical. Its never been done and never will.
Better tell the auto workers this since they endorsed Harris apparently they are uninformed or like living without a job.
So all those jobs we hear about being added and created went to China?And here I thought our economy was doing so well under the Biden Harris steady hand. wise leadership.
It’s all true and think they have did enough damage to our country with out this. Vote people!
Democrat solution? Like the coal miners out of jobs “They’ll have to learn how to write code”…
It requires 40% less labor to make an electric vehicle. And it requires 200% jump in the price of the vehicle in order to buy it , and they will gladly take Medicare money that seniors need to survive and give it away so that people who can buy a new electric vehicle. One that people of median income will never be able to own a ride in. sounds like Bidenomics, I just call it by what it really is democratic thievery and stupidity.
Wake up people electric cars a a huge scam. They work for a niche market of short distance commuters, who own homes (for at home charging). Also they work because our “old” power generation system (w. coal, nuclear & nat gas generating capacity) produced excess power generated at night, which can be sold at a lower cost. As more generation is switched to renewables (at a cost on the order of 35 cents per KWH (vers our current 6-20 cents)) that “free” power will disappear. Power costs are going way up because of this “Green New Deal Scam”, if we don’t stop this charade it will destroy the middle class!
Don’t even get me started on the “Big Tech” data centers moving to Phoenix and other locations with reliable nuclear power. They are providing “solar power to offset their electric foot print” another form of theft from the middle class who paid for those 24/7 generating facilities facilities and will undoubtedly be facing future blackouts (do you suppose they will shut off the power to the data center)?
If that laughing hyena wins the election this country is in deep sh**. PLEASE DON’T VOTE DEMOCRAT!!!!
They are continuing obama’s policies. Clearly shows that they only have their self interest at heart and not Americans interests for power and control since they both have strong ties with Communist China. Surprised they didn’t make riding on a unicorn required by 2032.
Don’t forget that train we can take from California to Hawaii or that train from the East Coast to Africa that democrats are going to build.
This is yet another issue that “Democrat” political leadership knows nothing about, and should stay away from. Always fear the self-appointed expert with political motivations… and a “Democrat” arm band…
So, why has the UAW endorsed Harris? Nuts.
I wish Biden would end his huge tariffs on Chinese EV’s.The Dems say they want to move to EV’s,but they more want to protect overpaid union workers.
..and they put so many stipulations on the Biden bill about chargers that NOT ONE SINGLE CHARGER has been put online. the bill stipulates they must be built with union labor–that doesn’t work in states with right to work laws.
Wait, didn’t Kamala just say she supports the middle class? In China maybe, but not here with the actions that speaks volumes (screams “liar”), why should we believe anything she says!
This is all rationalized by the global Climate Change Hoax-a worldwide campaign to deprive people of liberty and prosperity
Just like the meaning of BORDER – these two useless people need to be told just how much worse these vehicles will be on our environment!!
Electric vehicles are not selling and Auto manufacturers are not going to make them any longer, they are failures with a high maintenance cost, especially with all the electrical sensors and technology. Where are these charging stations, In China? In my location, three new gas stations will be opening soon, so much for charging stations!
The Democrat Fascists are those who should be shipped to China!
Harris doesn’t care about pollution, Global Warming, or any of the “feel good” liberal talking points.
What Harris DOES care about is eliminating the affluent middle class in America. She wants our middle class to be less wealthy… and, therefore, less politically powerful. This is one of the liberal objectives that Trump has been trying to stop… which is quite admirable.
Well, of course. They follow orders from their CCP superiors in Beijing!