DEARBORN, Mich. (NewsNation Now) — President Joe Biden took a ride on the “electric side” during his visit to the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center.
The tour was to promote his $174 billion electric vehicle plan which includes government grants for battery production facilities.
Biden drove around in the new Ford-150 Electric Truck for several minutes noting to reporters, “This sucker’s quick.”
He also said he’d buy one of the trucks if he had the chance.
“Now I don’t know if anybody has a stopwatch, but I think we were going zero to sixty in about four point three…four point four,” said Biden.
He then remarked, “OK, I’m just going to step on it. I’ll come off at eighty miles an hour. Ready?” before taking off again down the test track.
During his tour of the Ford Motor electric vehicle plant, he also met workers and laid out how his plan would put the U.S. in better shape for the global automotive market.
“The real question is whether we’ll lead or we’ll fall behind in the race for the future, or whether we will build these vehicles and the batteries that go in them here in the United States or rely on other countries,” said Biden.
The centerpiece of Biden’s EV plan is $100 billion in consumer rebates, according to an April U.S. Transportation Department email to lawmakers.
He also would like to allocate billions more in tax credits for zero-emission vehicles and charging stations
Biden faces resistance from many congressional Republicans on his EV focus. Republicans are set to release a counterproposal to Biden’s infrastructure plan as early as Tuesday and Republicans will meet with Biden’s commerce and transportation chiefs later on Capitol Hill.