With President-elect Joe Biden preparing to take office in January and his leadership team beginning to take shape, the auto industry has an opportunity to rewrite its relationship with Washington and advance an agenda that steers the U.S. toward an electrified and automated future.
John Bozzella, CEO of the industry’s leading lobbying group, said the Alliance for Automotive Innovation is “moving with a sense of urgency” as it encourages members of Congress and the incoming administration to look at policy proposals unveiled by the group this month.
The chief executive said now is the time for the sector and U.S. policymakers to work together and secure the nation’s position as a global leader.
“The countries that lead the development and adoption of these technologies — whether it’s electrification, highly automated vehicles or other connected technologies — those are the countries that are going to shape the supply chains,” Bozzella told Automotive News.
“They’re going to develop the running rules and potentially shape what the international automotive market looks like in the future,” he said. “We want this country to lead.”
Following the release of an AV policy road map, the alliance last week unveiled its auto innovation agenda, outlining eight supply-and-demand policy approaches for ensuring U.S. competitiveness in those forward-looking technologies.
In the report, the alliance urges policymakers to support efforts that will encourage the adoption of electric vehicles and modernize regulatory oversight of AVs and other new technologies.
“The long-term future of the industry and the auto market is zero net carbon and electric drive. That is where we’re headed. That’s where we all want to go,” Bozzella said. “In the midterm to long term, we need to be working effectively with all policymakers across the spectrum at the local, state and federal level to help shift toward that future.”
