Joe Biden gives $1.7 billion in grants to promote EV manufacturing in eight states, know details

The Biden administration is giving grants of about $2 billion to General Motors, Stellantis, and other car manufacturers. This is being given to help them restart or expand electric vehicle manufacturing and assembly sites in eight states. These states also include states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia which are very important grounds for the presidential election.

The White House said on Thursday that the Department of Energy will issue a total of $1.7 billion in grants to create or retain thousands of union jobs and support auto-based communities. Which have long driven the US economy. In addition to the three electoral battleground states, grants will also be awarded to EV plants in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and Virginia.

The White House said the grants cover a wide range of the automotive supply chain, including parts for electric motorcycles and school buses, hybrid powertrains, heavy-duty commercial truck batteries, and electric SUVs.

"Building a clean energy economy can and should be a win-win for union autoworkers and automakers," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "This investment will create thousands of good-paying, union manufacturing jobs and retain even more people from Lansing, Michigan to Fort Valley, Georgia, by helping auto companies retool, reboot, and rehire in the same factories and communities they once worked in."

GM said Thursday that its $500 million federal grant will help the company convert an assembly plant in Lansing, Michigan, to produce EVs. GM has already announced more than $12 billion in investments in its North American EV manufacturing and supply chain since 2020. Camillo Ballesti, GM vice president of North America manufacturing and labor relations, said the investments and federal grants "underscore our commitment to American leadership in manufacturing and innovation."

Biden said the grants, paid for by the landmark 2022 climate law, will help fulfill his commitment to ensure the future of the auto industry in America is led by American union workers.

"Workers left behind by my predecessor are now coming back with the support of my policies, including the transformation grants my administration is announcing today," the Democratic president said.

The grants were announced as Biden has rejected calls to step down after his poor showing in the debate last month. Biden, 81, has acknowledged his poor performance but brushed it off as "a bad night." While several congressional Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have refused to give him a full vote of confidence.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump has maintained a tight grip on the Republican Party, even after he became the first former president to be convicted of a felony.