The incoming Trump transition team plans to shut down Defense Department programs that support electric military vehicles, favoring a return to fossil-fuel power and prioritizing national defense over environmental concerns, according to a new report from Reuters.
Key Facts:
– The Trump team’s recommendations include eliminating the Biden administration’s initiatives aimed at shifting the U.S. military toward electric vehicles.
– The proposals push for a rollback of support for EV charging stations and consumer EV tax credits, with funds redirected to defense-critical battery supply chains.
– Tariffs and other protective measures against Chinese-made battery components would be introduced to bolster U.S. production.
– Military considerations focus on securing minerals and materials critical for defense, rather than funding EV programs.
The Rest of The Story:
Under the Biden administration, the Defense Department had been moving toward adopting electric vehicles.
This involved funding research, development, and eventual procurement of electric military vehicles, as well as building supporting infrastructure like charging stations on bases.
The incoming Trump transition team’s recommendations mark a welcome departure from that approach.
Instead of prioritizing electric vehicles, the strategy puts emphasis on securing a reliable, China-free battery supply chain.
The proposed policy shift would no longer view electric vehicles themselves as vital to defense readiness.
Instead, it argues that the focus should be on materials and infrastructure essential to producing batteries and critical minerals that could be used in various military applications.
Electric vehicles are unreliable and unpopular, yet the Democrats want to force them on our military.
Our troops' lives shouldn't depend on vehicles that China controls the materials for and might not start in a crisis.
We need reliable, American-made vehicles for our American… pic.twitter.com/e8f0twT1LX
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) June 12, 2024
Commentary:
Cutting off the Defense Department’s electric vehicle projects is really just common sense at this point.
While environmental goals have their place, the immediate mission of the military is to ensure national security with tools that work reliably in any conditions.
Right now, electric vehicle technology is still too dependent on a fragile charging network and foreign supply chains.
The Biden administration’s requirement for EV military vehicles was more about appearances than actual readiness.
The U.S. Armed Forces need equipment that can perform under stress and without special charging infrastructure in remote or hostile environments.
Until EV technology matures, mandating it for the military just wastes money on an ideal that doesn’t match reality.
The Bottom Line:
Instead of embracing a quick switch to electric military vehicles, the incoming team prefers securing the materials and infrastructure needed for future defense needs.
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The end result is a shift away from EVs toward a more traditional, dependable approach to military readiness.