Old North News

Climate regulations put in place by the Biden administration are forcing automakers to steer away from gas-powered vehicles and fossil fuels.

Ford Motor Company's goal of amping up electric vehicle (EV) production ultimately means several thousand job cuts and possible price increases to finance the company’s plans, according to a July 20 Reuters report.

"We wish Ford luck,” the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Editorial Board said in a July 21 report. “But when government steers investment, consumers and workers invariably bear the cost. Let’s hope taxpayers won’t have to bail out auto makers if their government-driven EV investments crash and burn."

President Joe Biden sees climate change as a major threat to jobs.

"Folks, when I think about climate change—and I’ve been saying this for three years—I think jobs," Biden said in the WSJ report.

Ford executives want to hasten production.

“To move fast in this space, smaller is better,” a Ford executive said. “We need to scale EVs quickly in the U.S., and that is one of the aspirations in the administration."

Ford Motor Company is prepared to cut up to 8,000 jobs in the coming weeks to decrease costs and amplify the company's focus on EVs, according to Reuters.

By 2026, Ford intends to spend $50 billion to make 2 million EVs each year, the WSJ reported. The move is a "steep ramp-up" from the 27,140 Ford sold in 2021

According to the United Auto Workers union, a surge in EV manufacturing could result in the loss of an estimated 35,000 union jobs because it requires fewer parts. As of February, there were allegedly 26,209 EVs and 12,518 plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) registered in North Carolina, according to Repair Driver News.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has supported EVs as a component of his plan to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. Executive Order No. 246 (EO 246), which Cooper signed into law in January, sets a benchmark of at least 1.25 million registered zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the state by 2030, according to Repair Driver News.

California has banned the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, and other states are said to be following, the WSJ reported. The Biden administration recently completed new greenhouse-gas emission standards that are, in effect, an EV mandate.