ICYMI: Biden-Harris Administration Kicks Off Earth Week with New Public and Private Commitments to Power Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Boom

The Biden-Harris Administration kicked off Earth Week yesterday with announcements focused on how the President's Investing in America agenda is powering an American manufacturing and clean energy boom, lowering prices, creating good-paying jobs in clean energy industries, meeting our climate goals, and advancing environmental justice and conservation. Throughout the week, President Biden, Vice President Harris and other Cabinet-level officials will continue to participate in nearly 40 more announcements and events to highlight how the Biden-Harris Administration is building a clean energy economy, creating economic opportunity in every corner of the country, and protecting the planet.

Yesterday, Vice President Harris visited a clean tech incubator in Los Angeles to highlight the importance of entrepreneurs and small businesses in building an equitable clean energy future. The White House also announced a second round of commitments yesterday from over 30 companies and organizations to expand electric vehicle fleets, increase consumer education, and grow the availability of EV charging. These commitments are part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda to spur domestic manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, boost U.S. competitiveness and create good-paying jobs. Since the President and Vice President took office, electric vehicle sales have tripled and the number of publicly available charging ports has grown over 40 percent.

Today's Earth Week announcements will focus on clean energy investments, with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy David M. Turk and Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation John Podesta uplifting a $250 million commitment to accelerate domestic electric heat pump manufacturing.

Read Coverage Below:

Spectrum News: Harris tours LA clean-energy incubator, touts improved job training
[4/17/23]

Vice President Kamala Harris paid a visit to the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator in the downtown Arts District Monday and touted efforts to build a robust "clean energy economy" and ensure that workers are trained in the type of skills needed to support such an economy.

LA Daily News: In LA, VP Harris calls for investing in diverse, clean energy entrepreneurs
[Clara Harter, 4/17/23]

Vice President Kamala Harris toured the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator in downtown L.A.'s Arts District on Monday afternoon to highlight how the Biden-Harris administration is supporting clean energy entrepreneurs and encouraging people of all backgrounds to join America's green technology industry. The L.A. Cleantech Incubator's mission is to foster an inclusive and innovative green economy in Los Angeles. LACI offers funding, training and office space for clean energy startups with a focus on supporting female founders and founders of color. It also creates pathways for people to enter green technology careers through workforce development programs and education outreach efforts.

ABC News: Biden administration announces new EV investments, including from Uber, Zipcar
[Kevin Shalvey and Clara McMichael], 4/17/23]

The Biden administration on Monday plans to announce a new round public and private commitments aimed at accelerating electric vehicle use throughout United States. The commitments to be rolled out on Monday, which include investment pledges from Uber, Zipcar and other tech companies, build on the White House's February announcement that Tesla plans to open thousands of its charging stations to the public.

Washington Post: White House announces more EV investments for Earth Week
[Maxine Joselow, 4/17/23]

The White House today announced that more corporations have made commitments under its "EV Acceleration Challenge," which seeks to speed up the nation's transition to electric vehicles, as part of a series of events for Earth Week. Today's announcements include: Blink Charging is investing $49 million to increase its manufacturing capacity in Bowie, Md., from 10,000 to 40,000 EV chargers annually by 2024. Uber is pledging to reach 400 million miles driven in EVs in the United States by the end of 2023. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and Ecology Action are vowing to install roughly 2,000 EV chargers at no cost to customers in disadvantaged communities. This week, President Biden, Vice President Harris and Cabinet-level officials will hold nearly 40 other events focused on touting the administration's record on climate, according to a White House spokesman.

UPI: Biden administration announces new EV partnerships with Uber, Zipcar
[A.L. Lee, 4/17/23]

The Biden administration has announced new partnerships with two of nation's most popular ride-sharing companies in an effort to boost electric vehicle usage throughout the United States. The private-sector initiative, announced by the White House in March, is part of President Joe Biden's ambitious plan to transition the country from gas-powered vehicles by 50% through the next decade.

MarketWatch: Biden adds more EV charging with pledges from Uber, Walmart, PG&E and others
[Rachel Koning Beals, 4/17/23]

Biden has set a goal of at least 500,000 chargers, including a presence in all states, by at least 2030. He has said that's an important step toward his goal of EVs comprising over half of new car sales by 2030. The new rollout announced Monday would add more than 100,000 public EV chargers to the more than 135,000 now available throughout the country.

Global Fleet: White House announces public, private EV commitments
[Daniel Bland, 4/17/23]

To support the United States government's plan to have 50% of all new vehicles in the country be electric by 2030, the White House has announced key public and private commitments throughout the nation. Today companies and nonprofits including Blink Charging, the National Automobile Dealers Association, Pacific Gas & Electric, Uber, ZipCar and others, are announcing new commitments to expand EV fleets, increase consumer education, and grow the availability of EV charging, according to a White House release. Besides electric vehicle (EV) sales tripling, the number of publicly available charging ports in the US has grown by more than 40% since the start of President Biden's administration. Currently, there are more than 3 million EVs and over 135,000 public EV chargers across the country.