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On Friday, the White House announced that federal subsidies will be available for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that use the standard plugs for Elon Musk’s Tesla models, as long as they also incorporate the U.S. charging standard connection, called CCS (Combined Charging System). The move follows Ford’s and General Motors’ recent adoption of Tesla’s charging model, which is expected to make Tesla Superchargers a widespread industry standard in the United States.
The Biden administration’s stated goal is to make sure that all publicly funded chargers are accessible to every EV, including Tesla Superchargers. However, it remains unclear whether Tesla providing a CCS adapter would satisfy the requirements. Tesla has been testing the use of CCS connectors, and CEO Musk has mentioned the possibility of Tesla chargers requiring only CCS adapters to meet federal standards.
In a Friday tweet, Musk said it would be “ideal” for Tesla chargers to need only CCS adapters to meet federal charging standards.
That would be ideal
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2023
This development has disrupted the EV charging industry and raised concerns for struggling charging startups. The stocks of EV charging companies like ChargePoint, EVgo, and Blink Charging experienced significant declines, while Tesla’s shares surged.
On Thursday, Musk hosted a Twitter Spaces discussion alongside GM’s CEO, Mary Barra, and retweeted an article GM shared about its partnership with Tesla, along with the caption:
Great to work with you!
Spaces discussion with Mary Barra, CEO of @GM! @mtbarra
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 8, 2023
But, the EV industry tycoons and Musk’s relationship with the White House haven’t always been so cozy.
In August 2021, President Joe Biden hosted an EV summit at the White House, but one notable absence caught attention. While major automakers like General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) were present, Tesla, known for its exclusive focus on battery-powered EVs, was left out of the event. This exclusion raised eyebrows, considering Tesla’s significant contributions to the industry and its extensive manufacturing facilities in the U.S. At the time, GM and Ford accounted for only a small percentage of electric vehicle sales in the country, while Tesla remained the frontrunner in EV production.
Musk tweeted:
Yeah, seems odd that Tesla wasn’t invited.
Yeah, seems odd that Tesla wasn’t invited
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 5, 2021
Early in 2022, the Biden administration was still ignoring America’s largest EV manufacturer, and Musk was having none of it.
The President tweeted a masked-up video, with the caption:
I meant it when I said the future was going to be made right here in America. Companies like GM and Ford are building more electric vehicles here at home than ever before.
Musk replied:
Starts with a T
Ends with an A
ESL in the middle
Starts with a T
Ends with an A
ESL in the middle— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2022
In response to Tesla’s exclusion from the President’s comments on the EV industry, Musk also tweeted, calling Biden a “damp sock puppet in human form.”
Biden is a damp 🧦 puppet in human form
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2022
Soon after, Tesla fans and vehicle owners started a petition that reached nearly 60,000 signatures imploring Biden to stop ignoring Tesla’s industry leadership. Another widely circulated petition criticized the exclusion of Tesla from the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credit incentive structure.
Thanks, this made a difference!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 8, 2022
In early February of 2022, Biden finally pronounced the name “Tesla” after a year in office, acknowledging the company’s industry leadership.
Later that month, Musk said:
The notion of a feud is not quite right. Biden has pointedly ignored Tesla at every turn and falsely stated to the public that GM leads the electric car industry, when in fact Tesla produced over 300,000 electric vehicles last quarter and GM produced 26.
Musk added that if he was invited to speak at the White House that he wouldn’t be any cause of concern or embarrassment, saying:
They have nothing to worry about. I would do the right thing.
But by March of 2022, Musk had been snubbed once again, this time at the State of the Union Address
Musk wrote:
Tesla has created over 50,000 US jobs building electric vehicles & is investing more than double GM + Ford combined
[fyi to person controlling this twitter]
Tesla has created over 50,000 US jobs building electric vehicles & is investing more than double GM + Ford combined
[fyi to person controlling this twitter]
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 2, 2022
The recent developments highlight the landscape of the EV market, with Tesla’s influence and market position becoming increasingly prominent not only in the EV market share but in federal policy, as well.
