US senators want Biden to go further in blocking Chinese EVs
Just as the EU is considering tariffs on Chinese EVs imported into Europe, three US Democratic senators are urging that the Biden administration hike import tariffs on Chinese EVs to address national security risks.
In the US, American drivers have about 50 EVs to choose from, with Europe having about double that. But in China, it’s a pure embarrassment of riches, with 235 different models to choose from, filling every niche, whim, or price range. And of course, we’ve been covering the price war in China here at Electrek, with prices on BYD vehicles dropping to extremely low prices, even as low as $10,000, which can leave Americans feeling frustrated – when will we get truly low-cost EVs?
Answer: Probably not soon, at least if it comes from China.
As it stands, Chinese EV makers are bypassing the US due to trade barriers that already impose a 25% tariff on their cars, introduced by Donald Trump during his presidency. And now pressure is building to increase that even more, to completely block the possibility of a Chinese EV brand taking hold on US soil.
And Europe is serving as a warning sign, certainly for legacy automakers. “Allowing heavily subsidized Chinese vehicles to enter the U.S. marketplace would endanger American automotive manufacturing,” said a letter from Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, first reported by Reuters.
“Artificially low-priced Chinese EVs flooding the U.S. would cost thousands of American jobs and endanger the survival of the U.S. automotive industry as a whole.”
In Europe this week, the European Commission says it has found evidence that China has been “unfairly” subsidizing the EVs it exports to Europe. Possible “remedies” on the table include retroactive tariffs on Chinese EVs. Meanwhile, Chinese EVs are arriving by the shipload as European automakers are struggling to stay in the game.
The European Commission says China hasn’t been playing fair in that its government has been paying subsidies through direct transfer of funds, which the EC says tips the balance in China’s favor and leaves European automakers out to dry. Of course, China’s access to cheap labor and cheap batteries, where it dominates the supply chain, also increases its gains.
Probe into EV national security threat
Last week, the Commerce Department opened its own formal investigation into whether Chinese vehicle imports pose a threat to US security in that the huge amount of data they collect could be sent to China.
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said that electric and autonomous vehicles are “collecting a huge amount of information about the driver, the location of the vehicle, the surroundings of the vehicle,” reports Bloomberg. “Do we want all that data going to Beijing?”
Of course, the US has already been tightening up restrictions. Last December, the US Treasury Department released a new list of guidelines for federal subsidies that excluded vehicles containing battery components manufactured or assembled by a “foreign entity of concern” (aka China). As of 2025, vehicles whose batteries contain certain “critical minerals” extracted or processed in China will also be ineligible for the tax credit.
But some lawmakers say this isn’t enough, with Raimondo adding: “If China is subsidizing the vehicles in a way that puts American workers at a disadvantage we have to do something about that.
This isn’t unprecedented, of course. Back in 2022, the FCC cited national security as the reason for banning the sale of communications equipment from Huawei and ZTE and restricted the use of some China-made video surveillance systems. A number of European allies have banned the use of Huawei’s 5G equipment. Not to mention DJI being blacklisted for federal use in the US.
Biden lays low on EVs in State of the Union address
In last night’s State of the Union address, Biden’s last before the election in November, he sidestepped his EV policies and refrained from boasting about his achievements at accelerating EV adoption in the country and establishing a homegrown battery supply chain, which are major points of contention in a tense election year.
“I’m taking the most significant action ever on climate in the history of the world. I’m cutting our carbon emissions in half by 2030,” he said succinctly, only adding a quick mention of his goal of building a public EV infrastructure.
Biden’s $7.5 billion EV infrastructure plan has been a crucial part of his policies, which includes adding 500,000 publicly available chargers by 2030 – and ensuring they are working properly. Meanwhile, EV sales have quadrupled in the US, with the number of publicly available charging ports rising by nearly 70%. Today, more than 4 million EVs are on US roadways, with the goal for half of the country’s car sales to be electric by 2030.
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Subaru today launched its compact AWD SUV at an event in New York City. With 300 miles of range, NACS charge port, a speedy 0-60 time of under 5 seconds, you could say that this is Subaru’s first modern EV, no offense to the rebadged Toyota BZ/Solterra…
The exterior looks a bit like a $100K Lotus Eletre with an off road flair. Uncharted will compete with Volvo’s EX30 Rivian’s R2S and other AWD EVs that might not be as rugged like the VW ID.4, Hyundai Kona and even the Chevy Equinox. Subaru’s lighting signature, shared with the 2026 Solterra and Trailseeker, along with its aggressive, rugged off-road styling will set it apart from the crowd.
It features new 18- or 20-inch wheel designs, as well as a high-contrast, available two-tone roof on Uncharted GT for enhanced curb appeal. At the rear, the sleek combination lamps, black badging, high beltline, and seamless rear design, complemented by a silver-painted lower rear fascia, add to the visual presence of the Uncharted. Low-profile roof rails on all-wheel-drive models add more options for carrying gear.
A NACS charge port with speeds up to 150 kW ensures convenient and fast charging options at more than 15,000 Tesla Supercharger stations nationwide. Even in cold weather conditions, the Uncharted can recharge its battery from 10% to 80% in nearly 30 minutes thanks to an onboard battery preconditioning system. At home, you can charge up to 11KW level 2 charging.
The interior is modern Subaru with rugged textile around a big 14-inch CarPlay/Android Auto screen experience (pictured below). There are 2 wireless phone chargers up front and 2 USB-C chargers in the rear.
All trim levels of the Subaru Uncharted are equipped with an All-Weather Package, including heated front seats, heated exterior mirrors, and windshield wiper de-icer; power rear gate; interior ambient lighting; and DriverFocus® Distraction Mitigation System. The Uncharted Sport adds X-MODE® Dual-Mode with Grip Control, heated steering wheel, StarTex® water-repellent upholstery, panoramic view monitor, and more. Uncharted GT will include a panoramic moonroof with motorized shade, 20-inch wheels, ventilated front seats, Harman Kardon® premium audio system, smart rearview mirror, and more.
The Uncharted battery is just under 75kWh, around the same size as a long range Tesla Model Y and it will get close to 300 miles in its FWD model (boo). Uncharted Sport and GT models are equipped with standard Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive with X-MODE, an anticipated range of up to 290 miles, and 338 horsepower which will appeal to more Subaru customers.
Full gallery below:
Electrek’s take
While Subaru maintains its close relationship with Toyota in EVs, and this is a C-HR rebadge, the Uncharted breaks some new ground. I love the NACS port, I love the range and the acceleration. Subaru’s fans might finally have an EV they can upgrade their ICE vehicle for.
That’s one thing that might be concerning for Subaru in the EV age: In ICE vehicles, Subaru makes one of the best, complicated AWD systems. However with EVs, AWD is almost table stakes at this point. Subaru will have to continue to innovate in the off road capable small SUV segment if it hopes to compete with all of the EV encombants. At this point, Subaru is a suspension and branding mod for Toyota.
The Uncharted certainly seems to be a good start.
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Environment
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Lucid Motors’ (LCID) shares soared over 50% after the company secured a multi-hundred-million dollar investment from Uber to deploy robotaxis. So, why did Lucid just announce plans for a reverse stock split?
Why did Lucid announce a reverse stock split?
Lucid and Uber announced a new alliance on Thursday to deploy 20,000 electric robotaxis over the next six years.
The new robotaxi service, set to launch next year, will combine Lucid’s advanced software-defined EV platform with Nuro’s Level 4 self-driving tech.
As part of the new alliance, Uber plans to make “multi-hundred-million-dollar investments” in Lucid and Nuro. The first autonomous prototype is already in operation on a closed track at Nuro’s facility in Las Vegas.
Lucid’s interim CEO, Marc Winterhoff, said, “This investment from Uber further validates Lucid’s fully redundant zonal architecture and highly capable platform as ideal for autonomous vehicles.” Winteroff claimed that the new alliance “is the start of our path to extend our innovation and technology leadership into this multi-trillion-dollar market.”
The Lucid Gravity boasts an impressive EPA-estimated range of 450 miles. Its electric sedan, the Lucid Air, just broke a Guinness World Record after traveling 749 miles (1,205 km) on a single charge.
Lucid’s partnership with Uber sent share prices surging over 50% during trading hours on Thursday. In a separate filing with the SEC today, Lucid announced plans to initiate a 1-for-10 reverse stock split.
The split won’t affect shareholder ownership, except in cases where fractional shares are created. In that case, shareholders will receive a cash payment.
Lucid said it believes the reverse stock split “will allow the company’s common stock to be more attractive to a broader range of investors and other market participants.”
A vote of confidence
During an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday, Winterhoff explained that a portion of the $300 million investment from Uber will be used to develop the self-driving tech with Nuro. Winterhoff added that Lucid’s surging share price was “a vote of confidence.”
According to Winterhoff, the reverse stock split is not due to Lucid’s fear of being delisted, but rather to attract larger investors.
It was also more of a “technical” strategy to reduce volatility and help Lucid participate in the broader stock market.
Many institutional investors avoid stocks priced below $5 due to the higher risk and price swings. The proposed stock split still requires shareholder approval, which will be voted on at an upcoming special stockholders’ meeting.
After that, Lucid’s Board of Directors will determine whether it’s still in the best interest of the company and its stockholders to proceed.
Lucid’s stock rose over 36% on Thursday, closing at $3.12 per share. Although shares of LCID are up just slightly (+2%), they are now up year-to-date. However, they are still down 18% over the past year and nearly 95% from their all-time high of over $58 a share in February 2021.
Last week, after meeting with Lucid’s CFO, Taoufiq Boussaid, Benchmark analyst Mickey Legg set a target share price of $5.00, which was subsequently raised to $7.00 following the announcement of the Uber partnership.
Legg wrote a note to investors, “After meeting with LCID’s CFO Taoufiq Boussaid on Tuesday and reviewing 2Q production and deliveries, we remain confident in the company’s path to scale.”
Lucid delivered a record 3,309 vehicles in Q2, its seventh straight quarter with higher deliveries. The company aims to produce 20,000 vehicles this year, more than double the roughly 9,000 it made in 2024.
After ending the first quarter with $5.76 billion in liquidity, Lucid said that it has sufficient funding to last until the second half of 2026, when it plans to launch its more affordable midsize EV platform. The first two models will be a midsize SUV and sedan, starting at about $50,000.
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