This week, General Motors announced it would be investing $7 billion to build a new EV battery plant in Michigan and retool an existing plant to begin producing electric pickup trucks, which together will support 5,000 new jobs in the state.
We’ve spent the past several months chronicling the steady cascade of new investments in domestic electric vehicle manufacturing. As US automakers chart their course toward electrification, it’s also crucial for auto manufacturers to invest in securing the domestic supply chain for EVs. That’s why this investment in a new battery factory is so critical: because it helps shore up our domestic capacity to produce EV batteries.
The market for EVs has already exploded in China and Europe, and as we race to catch up with our foreign competitors, we are presented with a unique opportunity. Not only are efforts to build out an EV and EV parts manufacturing industry vital to reduce transportation-related carbon emissions, but they also represent a long-term investment in American jobs, communities, and families for decades to come.
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