Detroit Today: Automakers struggle to charge up demand for electric vehicles
EV sales are slowing down — creating a number of obstacles for the auto companies manufacturing them as well as for the consumers hoping to purchase them.
Electric vehicles can be seen charging at a shopping center in Emeryville, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022.
As the auto industry continues its transition to electric vehicles, EV sales are slowing down — creating a number of obstacles for the auto companies manufacturing them as well as for the consumers hoping to purchase them.
From September to October, the average number of days an EV sat on a dealer lot jumped from 21 to 65. Ford is now expecting to sell 600,000 EVs by 2024 rather than the previously-estimated 2023. And Honda and General Motors recently ended their partnership to build affordable EVs because the financial returns don’t seem stable anymore.
A bill passed the Michigan Senate last month that would create a new office within state government to help workers deal with the economic repercussions of the shift to electric vehicles. The bill’s sponsor, State Senator Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), joined Detroit Today on Monday to talk about how the “Community and Worker Transition Office” would ensure auto workers aren’t left out of the transition to EVs.
Jamie Butters, executive editor of Automotive News and co-host of the Daily Drive podcast, also joined the conversation to discuss the hurdles automakers will need to overcome to speed up EV adoption in Michigan and across the country.
Subscribe to Detroit Today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
Guests:
State Senator Sam Singh is a Democrat in the Michigan Senate. He co-sponsored a bill to create the “Community and Worker Economic Transition Office,” which is meant to ensure automotive workers are not left out of the transition that will happen in that sector.
“This collaborating body will work with multiple departments, but work specifically with industry on their workforce needs,” said Singh.
Jamie Butters is the executive editor of Automotive News and co-host of the Automotive News Daily Drive podcast. He says battery prices need to come down in order to make electric vehicles cheaper.
“It’s tough to go from the early adopters to the mass market,” said Butters. “It has to be economically compelling and we’re kinda not there yet.”
Listen to Detroit Today with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
