The Biden-Harris administration's push for electric vehicles is forcing automakers to rethink their manufacturing processes and slash thousands of jobs in the process, but experts warn that the latest round of job cuts is just the tip of the iceberg.

GM said Saturday it would temporarily lay off about 1,700 factory workers as it retools its Fairfax, Kansas, plant to make the electric Chevrolet Volt instead of the gas-powered Chevrolet Malibu. Fellow automaker Stellantis also said it plans to lay off 2,450 employees in August. Cancel Classic version of the Ram 1500 truck agreement of Electrified Select, According to Bloomberg and the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice NewsExperts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the cuts are a harbinger of blue-collar job losses that will come as the Biden-Harris administration pushes ahead with EVs, because EVs require less labor to manufacture than internal combustion engine vehicles and are more reliant on Chinese-made parts. (Related: Biden Administration Considers Banning Chinese, Russian Automotive Software Over National Security Concerns)

““The GM layoffs, coming on the heels of the Stellantis layoffs, signal a shift in auto industry jobs from the U.S. to China,” Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Heritage Foundation's Center for Energy, Climate and Environment, told DCNF.and [Biden-Harris] “With the Administration's mandate on renewable energy and electric vehicles, China is gnawing at the foundations of American prosperity like termites gnawing at the foundations of a house.”

Deindustrialization and globalization Led Traditional blue-collar jobs have declined significantly, with blue-collar jobs falling from 31.2% of total nonfarm employment in 1970 to about 13% in 2016. According to To the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

China accounts for 41% of the world's cobalt mining and 28% of its lithium mining, rare earth minerals essential for making the lithium-ion batteries that power EVs. According to As a result, China is projected to produce twice as many batteries as all other countries combined by 2030, even as the Biden-Harris administration provides billions of dollars in subsidies to expand U.S. EV battery production, according to The New York Times.

In addition to concerns that the Biden-Harris campaign's push for EVs will lead to China taking away American manufacturing jobs, Consumers Union Executive Director and former Arizona Attorney General O.H. Skinner points out that differences in the EV manufacturing process will result in blue-collar job losses.

““EVs have fewer moving parts and require less final assembly in the auto factory,” Skinner told DCNF.[However] The cost remains very high for consumers, as large amounts of raw materials need to be mined and the batteries take a lot of time and money to assemble. [EVs] It's a loss for both American workers and American consumers.”

EVs have significantly fewer moving parts and require around 30% less labor to manufacture. According to At a 2017 presentation by Ford Motors, Reduce Demand for Assembly Line Workers in the United States. 2018 Survey study A United Auto Workers study found that the shift to EVs could cost up to 35,000 auto manufacturing jobs for its members by 2023. Report The Biden-Harris administration's emissions rules effectively mandate that 67% of all light vehicles sold after the 2032 model year must be electric or hybrid, which would reduce emissions by 117,000 vehicles, according to a study by the America First Institute.

Despite the labor reduction, the average cost of a new EV is still around 10%. Higher Because it is more expensive than a gasoline car Battery packThe devices, which cost around $15,000, are often manufactured by Chinese companies such as CATL and Gotion, but Republican lawmakers have called for blacklisting both companies over concerns about their ties to the Chinese Communist Party and forced labor.

Rising costs and a lack of charging infrastructure are holding back U.S. consumers from adopting EVs: a June poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Policy Research and the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute found that 46% of respondents said they were unlikely or very unlikely to buy an EV, while only 21% said they were “very” or “extremely” likely to switch to an EV. What's more, demand for EVs is expected to slow by 2024, with EV sales expected to reach 1.5 trillion yen. Growing Growth of 50% is expected in the first half of 2023 and 31% in the first half of 2024, significantly lower than the 71% increase in the first half of 2022.

Consumer hesitation continues despite the White House offering a $7,500 federal tax credit on certain EVs to help ease the cost for buyers, and despite the Biden-Harris Administration allocating $7.5 billion in 2021 to install thousands of charging stations across the country, there are only 38 individual charging spots in operation as of April 2024.

Despite these challenges, the Biden-Harris administration is maintaining emissions standards that essentially mandate that 67% of all light vehicles sold after the 2032 model year must be electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrids.

““GM's job cuts are a stark reminder that the Biden Administration's rapid push toward electric vehicles (EVs) without adequately addressing China's aggressive tactics to dominate our industry is having significant negative impacts on American workers,” Nick Iacovella, senior vice president of public affairs for the Coalition for a Prosperous America, told DCNF.The Biden-Harris Administration's agenda is investing billions of dollars in tax credits aimed at upgrading U.S. factories and boosting domestic EV production. But these efforts are threatened by China's government-backed push to dominate the global EV market.”

As part of this goal With a goal of making EVs at least 50% of new vehicle sales by 2030, the Biden-Harris administration has lavished subsidies on automakers, setting aside $12 billion in taxpayer funding for manufacturers to retrofit factories in August 2023. The White House claims this will create more than 2,900 new, high-quality jobs. GM said: process “Introduction of new tools” was the reason given for the layoffs in Fairfax, Kansas.

“It may sound like an exaggeration, but it is no exaggeration to say that the U.S. auto industry is at risk of being totally destroyed,” Mark Mills, executive director of the National Center for Energy Analysis, told DCNF.“It is clear that subsidies have not accelerated the expected dramatic cost declines for EVs, nor have they enabled a complete restructuring of the auto industry. Instead, they have increased our reliance on foreign raw materials and created foreign jobs, especially in China.”

GM, Stellantis and the Biden-Harris administration did not respond to requests for comment.

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