Chuck Schumer Lays Out Ambitious Clean Vehicle Plan

With a proposal designed to "unite the American environmental movement, the American labor movement and large automakers," Senator Chuck Schumer wants to transform American manufacturing toward an ambitious goal: 100 percent clean vehicles on the road by 2040. 

Acknowledging that a transition to clean vehicles is already happening, but "too slowly," Schumer cites climate urgency and China's rapidly developing clean transportation sector as reasons to move faster. 

Schumer's proposal involves three components. First, he suggests a "large discount on an American-made electric vehicle when you trade in a gas-powered car." Second, he wants to use federal funds to aggressively build out charging infrastructure "accessible to all Americans, regardless of where they live and work." Third, he advances an industrial overhaul to "establish the United States as the global leader in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing."

The total cost, according to Schumer, comes out to around $454 billion over a decade. "My plan is estimated to create tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs in this country," he continues. If the Democrats regain control of the Senate in 2020, Schumer has promised that this clean car plan will be on the table.