This Washington Examiner piece looks at the implications of President Trump’s threat to General Motors Co.in retaliation for announced plant closings could have on the advancement of electric vehicles. AEE’s perspective is included, quoting Dylan Reed, Head of Congressional Affairs. Link to the full piece here.

Excerpts of the Examiner story are below: 

 President Trump’s threats toward General Motors Co. over its move to shutter plants threaten to undermine the advancement of electric vehicles and stymie congressional efforts to help the industry.

“We are at a pretty critical point in the development and sales of electric vehicles,” Dylan Reed, head of congressional affairs for Advanced Energy Economy, told the Washington Examiner. “Trump’s meddling could disrupt that.”

Trump on Tuesday threatened to retaliate against GM, the largest U.S. automaker, for laying off thousands of workers and shuttering several North American facilities to marshal its resources on emissions-free and self-driving vehicles.

The president said he would seek to cut GM’s federal subsidies, including for electric vehicles, a vague threat that drew attention to the debate in Congress over extending or expanding the electric vehicle tax credit…

As Trump unleashed on GM, the utility and auto industries, in a split-screen contrast, were celebrating the milestone of 1 million electric vehicles being driven on U.S. roads as of October…

The electric vehicle industry, led by Tesla and GM, is calling for Congress to reform the $7,500-per-vehicle tax credit for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, primarily by lifting the individual manufacturer cap, and allowing the credit to be used into future years.

The credit, first introduced in 2009, is capped at 200,000 vehicles sold per automaker…

 “You can’t just remove a credit for one company that is designed to help the entire industry,” Reed said.

But Trump’s threat rankled supporters of the electric vehicle industry…

Tesla assembles electric vehicles in America, as does GM and electric bus manufacturer Proterra. The Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf are produced in the U.S. Volkswagen announced this week it is planning a new U.S. factory to build electric cars…

See the complete Washington Examiner story here.