WASHINGTON — When President Joe Biden set a nonbinding target last August for half of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be zero emission by 2030, major automakers backed the goal with a caveat: They can't do it alone.
While automakers including Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Stellantis — whose executives stood beside the president outside the White House for the announcement — are going along with, or even aspiring to exceed, the president's vision, they've also warned that meeting the aggressive goal will require more support.
"The auto industry has stepped up. ... But all levels of government will need to do their part for this challenge to succeed," John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said last year in response to the ZEV goal, which encompasses battery-electric, fuel cell and plug-in hybrid vehicles.