EV Hype Overshadows Public Transit as a Climate Fix
The emphasis on zero-emission cars has frustrated public transportation advocates, who say that the US needs to focus on greener alternatives to driving.
A light rail train on the new K Line in Los Angeles. Despite recent transit investments, most Angelenos — like most Americans overall — still use cars to get around.
Photographer: Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
President Joe Biden has fought for tax breaks for EV buyers, urged carmakers to convert their fleets and secured billions of dollars to wire a coast-to-coast network of charging stations. In 2021, he even slipped behind the wheel of an electric Jeep Wrangler and took a spin around the White House with news cameras whirring.
But while climate activists have cheered the high-profile commitment of Biden — as well as a slew of governors, mayors and automakers across the country — to shift the nation to non-polluting vehicles and halve US carbon emissions by 2030, many have been frustrated by the comparative lack of attention paid to convincing Americans to use a more powerful tool against climate change: leaving their cars at home and using public transportation.