The United States also had a plan to jump into the electric car. Is willing to dismantle it and bet on gasoline

When we think on the way to implement the electric car and point to Europe as a great architect with measures such as a prohibition from 2035 that now, It seems that it is in the airmany times we forget what is happening in the rest of the world.

In China, it is evident, The State has put all the meat on the grill to move to the electric car and, along the way, try to lead an industry (or at least, be relevant) in which they were disappeared outside their borders. In Japan, on the contrary, Everything is committed to hybrid and electric sales are almost testimonial.

But what happens in the United States? On the other side of the Atlantic, in the United States they barely bought 1,301,411 electric carswhich means a market share of 8.1%. A low figure that is marked by a VERY PORFFICIENT CARGERS NETWORK that delays its adoption and, at the same time, A lower fuel price than Europewhich Reduce the gap between the cost per kilometer of gasoline and electricity.

However, the country has also taken steps to favor the electric car and, ultimately, cause this technology to occupy a large part of the market. As? Pressing manufacturers, of course. Pressures that Donald Trump now wants to disassemble and that is about to see what consequences it has on the market.

The United States had a plan

Europe is not, much less, the only region that presses car manufacturers to move to the electric car. Yes, the decision to prohibit combustion engines from 2035, the new active emission regulations since this month of January that forces us to electrify much of the fleet and the objectives for 2030 are not, much less, subtle

However, in the United States they also had their own plan. The country opened the subsidy tap Under the mandate of Joe Biden. It was to reward with juicy tax advantages to those who produced their cars in the United States. And also those who, partially, did it in Canada or Mexico. Was known as Inflation reduction law.

To these tax incentives aid for the purchase of electric cars were added. If the vehicle had been produced under the premises of the previous law, the buyer could receive up to 7,500 dollars If it was a new electric car or $ 4,000 if it was used.

But also Another threat was waiting on the horizon. Joe Biden’s government wanted the average consumption of cars sold in the United States not to exceed 3.9 liters/100 km from 2027. In 2032, the average should be reduced to 3.56 liters/100 km, figures In both cases that would force a severe electrification of the fleet.

All this aspires to demolish the new government of Donald Trump. The chosen man is Bernie Moreno who aspires from the United States Senate to end the tax aids to purchase, Relaxate emission obligations to manufacturers and prevent states like California, who has assured that will continue delivering aid to purchase If from the state government they retire, can act independently.

In Bloomberg They point out that Moreno’s agenda does not have them all to get ahead. The economic environment highlights that it needs the support of the entire Republican group to take their plans forward and that some senators can be contrary to the idea because in their own states there are factories or planned productive plants of electric cars.

To all this we must add the impact that the scheduled tariffs can have to the vehicles that arrive from Canada and Mexico. Although despite a first attempt They have put them in pausethe intention of the new president of the United States remains to tax 25% the products that come from there. This would mean, in accounts of Bloombergmore expensive each unit in 3,000 dollars.

The measure is especially worrying for General Motors, which exports to the United States from Canada and Mexico 40% of the cars you sell In the country. The company, however, says that it will not transfer its production to the local market unless it is guaranteed that the measure will be extended in the long term. The same assures from BMW, which They will invest 800 million dollars in a plant in Mexico.

In it New York Times They also point to the car market as one of the great affected by these tariffs. In this case they estimate that large vehicles and trucks can become up to 10,000 dollars for each unit sold. “Most of this increase will be assumed by consumers and concessionaires,” says Patrick Anderson, CEO of Anderson Economic Groupto the newspaper.

The big problem that tariffs present is that nobody seems to be able to determine how much time they will be active. “Car parts are products that require months or years to be equipped, validated and tested before being incorporated into a vehicle. Simply They cannot be replaced overnight“, assures al New York Times Linda Hasenfratz, president of Linamar, producer of parts for vehicles.

In its opinion, it is impossible to transfer the industry in such a short time and, at the same time, the product is expensive to make the product of North America an anti -competitive space which will reduce the production of cars. Toyota and Honda (with a production that exceeds million units each in Canada) or Stellantis, which exports a third of its RAM to the United States from the neighboring country, are other greatly harmed.

However, manufacturers such as Volkswagen do seem to be valuing very seriously transfer part of their production to the United States. In fact, relax emission regulations and the threat that they would have to sell their products at a much more expensive price in the country is giving reasons to the group to Transfer there part of the production of Porsche and Audiusing Volkswagen electric cars plants that now work at half a gas due to lack of demand.

Eliminate tax incentives to produce electric cars (and buy them) and force manufacturers to sell more expensive or transfer their production to the country will lead to a delay in the adoption of the electric car. As we said, the advantage in price for the electric is not as competitive as in Europe and further more expensive the product involves moving it from new customers. However, manufacturers can play a little more with the price of combustion models that are sold in mass allow more laxity margins to be adjusted than with electric cars.

Photo | Xataka

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