Listen, I know this is stupid but it' s been a tough week for our Commander in Chief & I think it would be nice if we just tried "shutting the f-ck up" for a change. Is that too much to ask?
The Biden administration is handing out $1.7 billion to help firms like GM and Stellantis make EVs
The funding will help companies build more than 1 million electric cars each year
By William Gavin
PublishedYesterday
The Biden Administration announced Thursday it would dole out $1.7 billion to help automakers convert at-risk or shuttered manufacturing and assembly plants to make electric vehicles or hybrids.
The federal aid will help rejuvenate 11 plants across eight states, according to the Department of Energy (DOE). The projects will create more than 2,900 new jobs and keep more than 15,000 skilled union workers employed, according to the agency. It will also enable the production of more than 1 million electric cars and 40,000 trucks and buses each year.
“There is nothing harder to a manufacturing community than to lose jobs to foreign competition and a changing industry,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said in a statement.
General Motors has been given a $500 million grant to convert its assembly plant in Lansing, Michigan, to produce EVs. It currently builds Cadillac’s CT4 and CT5 and plans to continue making the cars in the near future. The investment will allow the automaker to retain 650 jobs and add another 50 positions.
“Our Lansing Grand River team produces incredible vehicles for our customers, and we’re proud to bring our commitment to performance and quality into our EV future,” Camilo Ballesty, who oversees North American manufacturing and labor relations for GM, said in a statement.
Fiat Chrysler, which is owned by Stellantis, will receive more than $583 million to convert its Belvidere Assembly Plant and and Indiana Transmission Plant to make EVs. The Illinois plant will retain and train 585 employees thanks to the funding, according to the DOE.
The Belvidere plant in Illinois was shut down in March 2023, although — as part of the United Auto Workers union’s contract won last fall — Stellantis agreed to commit almost $5 billion to the plant. The company said it would make electric midsize trucks at the plant, which is expected to open by 2027. The project will re-employ some 1,450 union employees.
Other big recipients of the federal funding are Harley Davidson’s facility in York, Pennsylvania, and Cummins Electrified Power’s plant in Columbus, Indiana. Volvo, the Swedish carmaker owned by China’s Geely Auto, was awarded more than $208 million for three facilities in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland.
President Joe Biden, who has won the endorsement of the United Auto Workers union, is seeking reelection in November and has made protecting American manufacturing a cornerstone of his campaign. The investments announced Thursday will go to key battleground states, including Pennsylvania and Michigan.
In May, the Biden administration announced plans to quadruple tariffs on Chinese EVs, partly to protect domestic manufacturers and jobs. More than 40,000 cars made in China have been bought in the U.S. this year, according to Jalopnik.
“This delivers on my commitment to never give up on the manufacturing communities and workers that were left behind by my predecessor and are now making a comeback with the support of my policies, including the conversion grants my administration is announcing today,” Biden said in a statement.
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