GM, Fiat-Chrysler, Volvo, and more receive $1.7 billion to increase EV manufacturing and improve auto supply chain
Eleven shuttered or at-risk auto manufacturing and assembly facilities across the nation will be receiving financial support. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will allocate $1.7 billion to help plants in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and Virginia produce electric vehicles (EVs) and improve their supply chains. According to the department, this funding will support the U.S. automotive manufacturing industry and create/retain thousands of jobs. Dubbed the Domestic Manufacturing Auto Conversion Grants program, this initiative will allow selected companies to negotiate for awards that will allow them to produce a wide range of automotive products, including parts for electric motorcycles and school buses, hybrid powertrains, heavy-duty commercial truck batteries, and electric SUVs. The program, which is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, will provide funding to eight different companies, including Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Harley Davidson, and Volvo.
What people are saying
In a recent quote, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said, “There is nothing harder to a manufacturing community than to lose jobs to foreign competition and a changing industry. Even as our competitors invest heavily in electric vehicles, these grants ensure that our automotive industry stays competitive—and does it in the communities and with the workforce that have supported the auto industry for generations.”
John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, added, “President Biden set out to build a clean energy economy that benefits everyone. Today’s awards from the Department of Energy help bring that vision to life by investing in the future of the auto industry, creating thousands of good-paying union jobs, and tackling the existential threat of climate change by cutting pollution from the transportation sector.”
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