In a video statement late Monday, UAW President Shawn Fain said workers at more factories will join those who are now in the fifth day of a strike at three plants.
Electric Cars
On Friday, Pritzker was in Joliet where he joined other elected officials and local dignitaries to celebrate the grand opening of a new Lion Electric assembly plant, the first new automotive factory in the greater Chicago area since 1965.
Most of the car companies manufacturing electric vehicles, a quickly growing market, have dropped AM radio from new vehicles. Because more than 40% of all radio listening is done in cars, there has been major pushback to the growing lack of AM access.
Since the pandemic struck three years ago, the average new vehicle has rocketed 24% to nearly $48,000 as of April, according to Edmunds.com. Typical loan rates on new-car purchases have ballooned to 7%, a consequence of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive streak of interest rate hikes to fight inflation.
Sixteen new models and some of their variations are eligible for all or half of the new credit, while nine models — mostly foreign-made vehicles — are no longer eligible, for now. Most of the eligible cars so far are made by the “big three” EV automakers in the US — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — plus Tesla.
The Biden administration will propose strict new automobile pollution limits this week that would require at least 54% of new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2030 and as many as two of every three by 2032, according to industry and environmental officials briefed on the plan.
The new rules take effect April 18 and are aimed at reducing U.S. dependence on China and other countries for battery supply chains for electric vehicles.
The administration is linking with additional partners like car rental company Hertz and BP gas stations to bring EV fast charging infrastructure to locations across America, including major cities such as Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Miami, New York City, Orlando, Phoenix, San Francisco and Washington, DC.
The 2022 figure topped the prior record of 936,000 vehicles delivered in 2021, but it was shy of the 1.4 million needed to reach the company's 50% growth target. Sales grew 40% year over year, while production climbed 47% to 1.37 million.
Starting Jan. 1, many Americans will qualify for a tax credit of up to $7,500 for buying an electric vehicle. But a complex web of requirements, including where vehicles and batteries must be manufactured to qualify, is casting doubt on whether anyone can receive the full credit next year.
An economic package, which gives tax credits to incentivize electric vehicle and parts production and training in Illinois, has yielded few results, to the point that Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to soon sign legislation that will expand some tax credits.
The European carmaker said it will “idle” the assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois on Feb. 23 and said the layoffs are expected to exceed six months.
President Joe Biden, a self-described “car guy,” often promises to lead by example on climate change by moving swiftly to convert the sprawling U.S. government fleet to zero-emission electric vehicles. But efforts to eliminate gas-powered vehicles from the fleet have lagged.
The decision by the California Air Resources Board came two years after Gov. Gavin Newsom first directed regulators to consider such a policy. If the goal is reached, California would cut emissions from cars in half by 2040.
The federal lawsuit Illinois joined charges the Postal Service with botching its review of a plan to buy as many as 165,000 new delivery trucks in an effort to modernize its fleet. The contract calls for just 10% of those trucks to be electric vehicles.
Three separate lawsuits, filed by the states and environmental groups Thursday ask judges to order a more thorough environmental review before the Postal Service moves forward with the next-generation delivery vehicle program.
