One of the core components of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill is adequately preparing the country for the electric vehicle revolution. The Biden Administration has earmarked $174 billion for transportation electrification, which has sparked a flurry of investment from auto manufacturers.
GM announced it will open a $2.3 billion plant in 2023 to manufacture 500,000 EV batteries, Honda has committed to only sell EVs by 2040, Hyundai will invest $7 billion for U.S. EV production, and Ford has announced that half of all Lincolns produced could soon be emissionless. Even here in Kansas, EV consumers in Olathe can now charge their vehicles for free at the Indian Creek Library.
But unfortunately for consumers in Kansas, poor policy at the state level is acting as a major hurdle. Kansas, which currently ranks tied for last in the U.S. Electric Vehicle Accessibility Index, is actively discouraging the purchase of EVs with its ban on direct-to-consumer sales, and its disproportionate licensing fee for electric and hybrid vehicles.
