The EV Culture War: Politics, Perceptions, and China's Impact

We’re very excited for today’s episode, because from now on we’ll be delivering you two Decoders every week. On Monday’s we’ll have our classic interviews with CEOs and other high-profile guests. But our new shorter Thursday episode – like today’s – will explain big topics in the news with Verge reporters, experts, and other friends of the show. 

The big idea we’re going to jump into today does in fact have a lot of problems: electric vehicle adoption in the US. We invited Verge Transportation Editor Andy Hawkins, who’s been covering the EV transition for years, to walk us through what’s happening. 

Late last year, Andy wrote a fantastic article called, “The EV Transition trips over its own cord.” It was all about the kind of paradox of the EV market right now: The momentum for electric cars in America feels like it’s started to hit serious snags, even though more people than ever before are going fully electric. The stakes are high, and there’s a lot going on. Let’s get into it. 

Links: 

• The EV transition trips over its own cord — The Verge
• We’re down to just a handful of EVs that qualify for the full US tax credit — The Verge
• Electric cars were having issues. Then things got political — WSJ
• Tesla is becoming a partisan brand, says survey — Eletrek
• 16 Republican governors urge Biden EPA to roll back proposed electric vehicle standards — USA Today
• Slow rollout of national charging system could hinder EV adoption — NYT
• Want to stare into the Republican soul in 2023? — Slate
• Biden vetoes Republican measure to block electric vehicle charging stations — NYT
• The Biden administration is pumping more money into EV charging infrastructure — The Verge
• GM should just bring back the Chevy Volt — The Verge

Credits: 

Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright.

The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

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