Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) speaks at the SelectUSA Investment Summit in National Harbor, Maryland, on May 4, 2023.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
The future of electric vehicles is a key issue for the US auto industry and its home base in Detroit, Michigan. It’s also becoming an increasingly politicized issue, according to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
The Biden administration’s support for EV adoption also includes legislation to combat inflation, but this contradicts Donald Trump’s pledge to repeal fuel economy regulations if re-elected — a policy shift that could extend the era of gasoline-powered cars.
“Politics has come into this space,” Whitmer said Tuesday at CNBC’s CEO Council Summit in Washington, D.C. “Certainly. [research and development] It’s a good thing, it’s good to be ahead of the rest of the world, but like everything else right now, it’s complicated.”
Governor Whitmer, who has supported several EV-focused policies, including a goal of making the state’s fleet all-electric by 2040 and rebates to encourage EV sales, said the auto industry understands the right strategy.
“The world is moving fast and our OEMs are becoming more agile and embracing this. … We [internal combustion engine cars] It goes beyond what we can offer, [EV] “There will still be some trial and error when it comes to infrastructure, but we are moving in the right direction,” she said.
After spending the past few years aggressively promoting EVs, automakers are beginning to lower their expectations as consumer interest wanes, a situation that could change if political pressure mounts from either side during the next term.
“Everything has become politicized right now, and that’s an unfortunate part of the situation our country is in right now,” said Gov. Whitmer.
Longer term, the EV investment curve is tied to broader national goals around manufacturing as well as the economy and national security, which Whitmer pointed to as a sign of strength.
“For the first time in a really long time, we have a real strategy to rebuild manufacturing in this country. We saw during the pandemic how bad things have been on so many fronts, not just jobs but homeland security,” she said. “We need manufacturing growth in this country, and we’re doing it sustainably and with a serious commitment. Ensuring we’re building the cars of the future is a critical part of our national security and good-paying jobs, and it’s in all of our interests to support an industry that’s trying to move fast.”
Whitmer, a Democrat who grew up in a household with a Republican father and a Democrat mother, began her first term as governor in 2018 as a statewide minority. Despite Michigan’s shift to the left in recent years, some districts remain Republican strongholds.
“I think it’s important to teach people to ask questions to take in as much information as possible, even when they’re sitting across from someone with completely different political views and experiences,” she said.
Carl Quintanilla, co-host of CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” asked Whitmer if such an approach makes it harder for people to stick up for their beliefs.
“i don’t think so [listening] “Change changes values, but you have to always be able to learn and understand what’s going on,” Whitmer said.
She initially ran for governor on a promise to fix the state’s roads, a goal that grew out of conversations with people from both parties who said they would make their lives better.
She voiced support for energy policies that have been unpopular among leftists in recent years but are gaining new attention nationwide.
“We’re trying to meet our energy goals and our climate goals and nuclear power is a key part of that. Do I think the public is ready to have a conversation about nuclear power again? I didn’t know what to expect, but there’s been great support in the community,” she said.
“These are good-paying jobs, they are closely tied to our clean energy goals and energy independence, which is critical to our economy and our security, and we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback,” Whitmer continued. “There’s a generation of fear, but most of it has been positive.”
Governor Whitmer acknowledged that standing up for her beliefs will open her up to criticism, but that is now inevitable.
“One of the things I’ve always been keenly aware of is that in this environment, no action will be judged,” Whitmer said. “Once I accepted that, it was liberating because I didn’t have to predict how to make everyone happy, because that’s impossible.”
“I think these things can be paralyzing if you’re trying to make everybody happy. Forget about it,” she said. “You can’t do that. Do the next right thing for your employees, for your employees, for your community.”
