International, National and Local Spotlights on EV Adoption

By: Patty L. Buchanan

Wooohooo, my all-time favorite Super Bowl ad was released this week, and it is getting international laughs mixed with awe.  GM is using the biggest advertising stage, the U.S. Super Bowl, to promote the idea of national pride in the rapid adoption of electric vehicles.  The premise of the ad is that Will Ferrell is incensed that Norway is far outpacing the United States in electric vehicle sales.  Indeed, the majority of cars sold in Norway in 2020 were electric, and 67% of car sales in December in Norway were electric.  Norway expects all car sales by 2025 to be zero-emissions.  Now that’s moving the needle!  (Check out our prior blog post on how the existence of phase out plans will accelerate EV adoption way ahead of the projected end date for fossil fuel dependent systems.)

This GM ad is remarkable on so many levels.  Consider that last year GM joined in a Super Bowl industry show of EVs; and this year it is doubling down on its dedication to conquering the EV market.  GM is seeding the public discourse with national pride gamification to build momentum for the growth in EVs.  And the Super Bowl advertising humor playing out on the world stage is a great way to build momentum for the United States to get back in the Greenhouse Gas emission reduction race.

This GM Super Bowl ad also plays well along-side this week’s announcement by President Biden to transition the federal government’s fleet of 650,000 vehicles to electric while building out 550,000 charging stations.  Although President Biden did not specify the timeframe to complete this transformation, announcing this intention contributes to building consensus that we will move away from fossil fuel vehicles urgently.

And there was even more EV adoption momentum this week:  The United States Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) published a report this week entitled Accelerating the Transition to Electric School Buses.  You can read the full report here.  Recommendation #1 aligns with Croton100’s advocacy: “School districts should commit to transitioning to 100% all-electric buses by 2030, with a plan to phase out the purchase of new diesel buses immediately.”  Speaking of national pride, we have an even bigger deficit than with Norway when it comes to buses; China has over 400,000 electric buses while the United States has about 650.

With so many stars aligned this week, now may be a good time for you to accelerate your transition to electric vehicles.  Even if you’re not ready to make a purchase quite yet, you can still take a few steps to get yourself ready when it is time for you to buy your next vehicle.  Check out available EVs and soon-to-come EVs at https://driveelectricus.com, consider NYSERDA rebates, or ask Siri or your favorite search engine about options.

If you are interested in helping Croton100’s EV campaign, now is a great time to meet us and join us.  Get in touch with us at [email protected].

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