The great political divide that has taken a strong grip on American politics has unfortunately extended its reach to electric vehicles. Every day, we hear more and more EV bashing from every corner of the Republican party, from elected officials and Fox News to partisan bloggers.
This constant EV bashing really bothers me. As a Detroit-raised Republican, I’m a huge fan of EVs. My family owns a BMW iX and a Volkswagen ID.4. They are fast, quiet, impressively designed, and I don’t miss paying a small fortune in gas money (given that I live in Los Angeles, where gasoline prices are sky-high).
Having been a campaign consultant for more than 30 years, working at the highest levels of the GOP, I’ve helped numerous Republican Senators and governors win office. Yes, I’m a card-carrying Anti-Trumper, but I remain a conservative free market guy, and I strongly believe that EVs are the way forward and should be embraced. I want North American automakers to thrive in the EV market rather than letting the future of mobility fall into China’s hands.
So, why all the EV bashing from the Republican party? And what can be done to overcome it? To get answers to these questions, I launched a campaign called The EV Politics Project. Check us out at EVPolitics.org. Our first project was to conduct a poll to delve deeply into the issue of EV partisan divide. To do this, I reached out to ace GOP pollster David Hill, and we polled 600 U.S. voters with a household income of $50,000 a year or more.
Our polling revealed that there is a significant divide between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to views on electric vehicle brands. This polarization raises the question of what can be done to bridge this divide and promote EV adoption.