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Joe Biden’s progressive campaign promises prove he’s bullish on the power of EVs to make a difference in the fight against climate change, but having the right attitude won’t make them just happen.
Giving the president-elect tailwinds are a slew of new electric vehicles (among them the GMC Hummer EV, above) due to go on sale during his first term, including a lot of pickup trucks that can shift the public image of EVs and a lot of EV production that is or will soon be happening in red states.
As usual, cheap gas and a Senate potentially still controlled by Republicans means any plans Biden has will be tempered to some degree.
The upcoming Biden Administration elicits unequal parts worry and excitement when it comes to electric vehicles and the future of the automobile industry. The excitement is there, in spades and with good reason, but there are worries from many corners as well.

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Excitement over electric vehicles flows from the president-elect himself, who promoted two distinct EV policies in his campaign climate plan. First, his Day One “unprecedented executive actions” include moving the federal government procurement system toward 100 percent “clean energy and zero-emissions vehicles” as well as making sure U.S. fuel-economy standards are set so they get “100 percent of new sales for light- and medium-duty vehicles [to] be electrified” alongside annual improvements for heavy-duty vehicles.
Second, Biden’s “Year One Legislative Agenda” is to include accelerating the deployment of electric vehicles by working with governors and mayors to deploy over 500,000 new public charging outlets by the end of 2030. The plan also calls for restoring the federal government’s electric-vehicle tax credit and targeting it toward middle-class consumers while prioritizing electric vehicles made in America when possible.

2021 Rivian R1T.
Rivian

That’s what the president-elect has said himself. Industry sources who spoke to Car and Driver on background said once Biden is inaugurated, he could use the presidential bully pulpit to signal to Americans that the future belongs to EVs. He could also stop the fight with California over fuel-economy standards and get back to promoting one national standard.

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It’s also the case that some of the names being suggested as members of a Biden cabinet are strong proponents of EVs, among them Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, and Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer. The tea leaves are still too weak to read with precision, but it’s something to keep an eye on as Biden gets ready to be sworn in in January.
There Are Going to Be Limits
Of course, any worries that the Biden Administration is about to run roughshod over an automobile industry that’s had such success working with the oil industry for over a century are simply unfounded. Our sources pointed to two large roadblocks, including likely Republican control of the Senate, which will limit how far Biden can push his plans, and low gas prices. A $2 gallon of gas makes the economics of going electric less appealing than $4 gallons, but even in an era of relatively cheap gas, there might be some reasons for Republicans to work with Biden on EVs.
Those reasons can be counted in four letters: jobs. Plug In America’s policy director, Katherine Stainken, pointed out to C/D that there is a relatively under-the-radar EV production boom happening in red states, citing the Cadillac Lyriq being built in Tennessee (where Volkswagen is expanding EV operations and Nissan has been building the Leaf for years), Tesla opening a plant in Texas to build the Cybertruck, SK Innovation’s $2.6 billion battery plant potentially coming to Georgia, and the Lordstown Motors plant in Ohio, along with Lucid and Nikola in Arizona.
“There’s a lot of new manufacturing happening around the United States for electric vehicles, and we hope that will resonate with some of the Republican senators,” she said.

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2022 BMW iX

Center for Automotive Research president and CEO Carla Bailo wrote that despite the excitement around EVs, she sees a downside for existing internal-combustion engine and transmission plants that will need to be managed during the transition. “We have several years before internal-combustion engines will be obsolete, and we should begin to prepare the workforce and plant management accordingly,” she wrote. With Biden, she said, “We will have someone in the White House committed to the resurrection of the Paris accords and improved air quality for the U.S. There will remain good checks and balances due to the situation in the House and Senate to move pragmatically.”
Another source said senators who realize Biden has the power to put executive orders into place might be encouraged to find middle ground on some EV proposals to stop the administration from going too far left. Or not, if Republican Senate leader (for now, anyway) Mitch McConnell continues his drive to be seen as the “grim reaper” of progressive legislation.

Ford E-Transit and Mustang Mach-E. 
Ford

Ford F-150 Electric prototype.

Electric Trucks Could Change the Landscape
There’s another factor that might override the political concerns. Government incentives alone can’t force people to buy EVs and small numbers of people buying EVs won’t have the climate impact Biden is talking about. Everything needs to work together, and it just might be time for everything to come together in the shape of America’s iconic pickup truck.

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No all-electric trucks are available today from any major automakers, but there will be a fair number released during Biden’s first term. This new generation of trucks is likely to simply outperform a lot of the gas or diesel pickups available now. Most of them will have onboard power, allowing users to plug in tools at a worksite or offer electricity while remote camping. Rivian says its R1T pickup truck will go through three feet of standing water, for example, and Ford has hyped the towing capability of its upcoming electric F-150, famously pulling a million-plus-pound train in a promotional video. These sorts of features might be what it takes to give EVs the boost they need, politics be damned.
“There’s all this potential that we can’t even imagine right now when you’re driving a pickup in the middle of nowhere and you’re bringing power with you,” said Plug In America executive director Joel Levin. “Where will that lead? What kinds of creative things will people do?”
We’re about to find out.

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General Motors has announced a recall of 50,932 2017 through 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EVs in the U.S.
The problem is the chance of a fire in the high-voltage battery pack, which could occur even when the vehicle is stopped, parked, and not plugged in to charge.
GM said owners should park the vehicles outside and away from houses until repairs can take place and, in the video below, explains what else owners can do.
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Chevrolet is recalling more than 50,000 of its Bolt EVs in the U.S. equipped with batteries manufactured by LG Chem in South Korea. There is a risk that these high-voltage batteries, located under the rear passenger seats, could catch fire. The Bolt EV has a 60.0-kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
Executive chief engineer Jesse Ortega, in the GM video above, details the problem and explains what owners can do while waiting for a fix.
Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and GM are investigating complaints from owners and have confirmed five instances of fires related to the problem. NHTSA’s investigation report indicates that the agency is also investigating 2020 model year Bolt EVs and gives a total of vehicles potentially affected of 77,842. However, Chevrolet said, “The 2020 Bolt EV uses a different battery-cell design than the vehicles affected by this recall.”
NHTSA’s report on its investigation of three vehicles that caught fire—one each from 2017, 2018, and 2019 model years—said “fire damage appeared to be concentrated in the EV battery compartment area with penetration into the passenger compartment from under the rear seat. The root cause of these fires is unknown. One of these incidents . . . reported smoke inhalation injuries.” In a consumer alert this afternoon, NHTSA said it has confirmed five fires and two injuries. In one case, the fire spread from the vehicle and “ignited a home.” Therefore, the agency says Bolt EV owners should park them away from houses and outdoors.
At the time of each of the reported incidents, Ortega said, the batteries were at full or nearly full charge.
What Owners Should Do Now
GM will give dealers a software update beginning on November 17 while it continues to investigate the cause of the incidents and look for a fix. This software update will automatically limit the battery’s charge to 90 percent, the automaker said. Owners are asked to contact dealers and set up appointments on or after November 17 to get the software update.
Meanwhile, Ortega said, owners of 2017 and 2018 Bolt EV vehicles should change their charge setting to the Hilltop Reserve option. Owners of 2019 Bolt EVs should change the vehicle charge setting to enable “target charge level at 90 percent.” Watch the video above for detailed instructions.
Owners of potentially affected Bolt EV vehicles can check GM’s dedicated Bolt Recall website. Details of the NHTSA investigation are on its website.

Battery pack is located under the rear seats of the Bolt EV. Pictured: 2017 model.
Chevrolet

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For this week’s episode, we challenged the Window Shop crew to find the best British cars out there. If you’re thinking, “Well, that’s easy: McLaren F1,” we also set a budget of $10,000, which, far from getting you an F1, probably wouldn’t cover the ’90s Compaq laptop computer you’d need to service that car. We kept the criteria for this challenge purposely vague, wanting our shoppers to define what makes their Limey the best. As you might expect to hear in a conversation about cars built on Old Blighty, reliability—or the lack thereof—is an important factor.Among the many things you might learn from this episode—including how to turn on the map light in a Rover P6 and how to pronounce the word “turbine”—is that contributor John Pearley Huffman doesn’t like British cars, but he puts aside his feelings and chooses the iconic MG B roadster. We also find out that only one of the crew has ever owned English car.The team presents a Jaguar with a spectacular 6.0-liter V-12 as well as a gorgeous Jaguar XJ6 Series III, and deputy testing director K.C. Colwell makes a strong case for the 2006 Land Rover Range Rover. But it’s the last pick that intrigues us most. It’s a real dark horse. Grace Kelly died in a similar model, but it offers British innovation and engineering and is the last car that the Rover brand developed before being swallowed up by British Leyland. It’s not British Racing Green, but it’s a clear winner.
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Ford is highlighting a small but significant added option on the 2021 Bronco four-door: a slide-out tailgate.
The tailgate is claimed to add enough length for two people to sleep comfortably inside the Bronco, or one person to enjoy an eight-foot-nine-inch space to stretch out diagonally.
The optional tailgate will be available starting in late 2021.

Ford

One of the best things about the 2021 Ford Bronco is that you can fit it with all kinds of goodies and options. To the list of washable floor mats, grab handles, LED light bars, side rock rails, and brush guards, add this space-extending slide-out tailgate. Specially for the four-door Bronco, it arrives in late 2021 and adds about 14 inches of legroom.

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With the front seats forward, there’s a total of seven feet, six inches of diagonal space for one camper to stretch out, or six feet, six inches of length for two people to sleep with the tailgate closed. If that doesn’t feel like enough, with the slide-out tailgate option, you get more than a foot more length, so that one person stretched out diagonally can enjoy eight feet, nine inches of space or two people can have seven feet, nine inches. The Bronco’s removable top completes the picture with a sleep-under-the-stars experience.

Ford

Ford marketing manager Mark Grueber told Car and Driver earlier this fall that the automaker will be adding more goodies to the Bronco’s spec list, saying that “everything from colors and options to special editions” will be announced during the runup to the new vehicle’s arrival. So this is surely not the last such add-on that will be highlighted to further entice Bronco buyers—as if they needed any more encouragement to want one.
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