Last month, the White House hosted an electric vehicle summit where the future of the gasoline-alternative cars and fuel economy standards were the focus, but the company responsible for nearly three-quarters of all U.S. electric vehicle (EV) sales was not invited.
According to KVUE News, the guest list included General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler. On Twitter, Tesla CEO Elon Musk called it "odd" that his company, at the top of EV sales for years, was left out. Volkswagen also was not at the event, CNN reports.
"When you've got a vehicle that is probably as American as it gets, they should absolutely be highlighted by any kind of policymakers who are hosting events or bringing summits of business leaders together, or just simply highlighting what's happening in the American economy," Austin Tesla owner and entrepreneur Steven Knapp told the Austin Journal.
Forbes reported that the Tesla Model 3, manufactured in Fremont, California, is the "most American" car of 2021, beating out other staple American vehicle brands such as Ford and Jeep. The Tesla Model Y also claimed the third spot on the American-Made Index.
Tesla currently dominates the United States electric vehicle market, claiming a 71% market share according to recent registration data.
With the manufacturer's American-made rankings in mind, Knapp said that Tesla should not just be invited to EV summits, they should be given a spotlight.
The White House did not explicitly state that Tesla was excluded because of its anti-union stance, according to KVUE. When asked at a press briefing about whether Tesla’s exclusion had anything to do with the company being non-union, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki did not deny a connection, telling the White House correspondents, “I’ll let you draw your own conclusion.”
Knapp believes that leaving the EV manufacturer out because its employees are not in an automotive union is unfair.
"I think it's fine that the policymakers hold values around unionization and workers' rights, but at the same time they should still be able to highlight and support the work of workers who may not themselves be unionized," he said. "They're still workers, they're still American workers working in American manufacturing plants so we should be able to highlight those just as much as we highlighted unionized workers in American plants."
On Aug. 5, the same day as the summit, President Biden signed an executive order setting a target that by 2030, 50% of new vehicles sold will be zero-emissions vehicles. The White House had branded the event “American Made” with President Biden tweeting that “The future of the auto industry is electric — and made in America.”
The importance of electric vehicles to America's future is at least one point where Knapp agrees with the White House. He and his family chose Tesla for its high safety ratings, while still offering a comfortable drive.
In Knapp's words, Tesla "isn't going anywhere," and he wanted to invest in such a company that would be around for the long-term.
"As an EV owner myself, I feel like for people who would otherwise be looking at making a car purchase the friction points of choosing an EV over a traditional gas-powered vehicle are becoming much easier to understand," he said. "That's because specific things, like charging, are becoming easier to access."
Knapp explained that EV drivers used to experience "range anxiety," which is uncertainty about travelling long distances before having access to electric charging stations.
The Tesla owner also said that EV vehicles are becoming more affordable.
"They're at various price points and becoming viable options for what you're shopping for. I think that we're going to see adoption of EVs across the board," Knapp said. "I don't think we're too far away from seeing those being first-vehicle purchases for new drivers as well as vehicles for growing families. I think we're going to see them starting to slide into all of the categories."
Construction of a massive Tesla manufacturing plant, dubbed a "Gigafactory," is currently underway east of Austin. Knapp is excited to see the spread of EV manufacturing continue from the West into South-Central U.S. and Texas in particular.
"I think it is just phenomenal," he said. "To have something so big in Texas is really exciting."
Knapp has been an Austin resident for 10 years. He owns several small consulting and technology businesses and remains active in local transportation policy advocacy, including the future of electric buses, light-rail systems and the reimagination of how people move throughout the city.