Federal money for electric vehicles is supporting nearly 150,000 new jobs, according to a report from Environmental Defense Fund and the consulting firm WSP. The report looked at corporate EV investments announced since November 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The jobs include building electric cars, trucks and buses, along with batteries and other parts. The authors expect the same investments to support more than 825,000 jobs in the wider economy, at raw-material suppliers and at businesses near the new and expanded plants.
Corporations have announced more than $165 billion for building and retooling US factories since November 2021. Federal spending has included more than $2 billion in upfront discounts for EV buyers, support for high-speed charging in all 50 states, and tax credits for manufacturers that retool existing factories or build new ones.
“Federal investments have given companies the confidence they need to ramp up manufacturing to meet growing consumer demand,” said Ellen Robo, a transportation and clean air policy expert at Environmental Defense Fund.
Where the jobs are
More than three-quarters of existing and announced clean car manufacturing jobs sit in congressional districts held by Republicans, the report found. Of the 25 districts with the most new jobs, Republicans represent 19, with nearly 110,000 jobs announced between them.
Sales and risk
The International Energy Agency says clean cars, trucks and buses made up 20% of new vehicle purchases worldwide in 2024. In the US, EVs were expected to top 10% of new sales by the end of 2024. Five years earlier they were a sliver. At least 57 EV models are on sale in the US now, with 20 more due in the coming year, and J.D. Power says electric cars are cheaper to own and run than gas-powered ones in 48 of 50 states.
David Schwietert of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group for US and international automakers and suppliers, told congressional leaders in late July that “electrification is transforming personal mobility.”
Environmental Defense Fund says the spending could be at risk under the incoming Trump administration. There is no federal EV mandate, but Trump promised on the campaign trail to “end the electric vehicle mandate on day one.” Federal subsidies for oil drilling, estimated at $5.2 billion in 2023, are not targeted.
