The global transportation system is shifting from a gasoline past to a connected, electric future, with considerable strategic and economic rewards for the country that leads the transition. Currently, the unrivaled leader in this race is China, which exerts vast control over every step of the electric vehicle (EV) supply chain, from minerals to markets.
For the United States to compete, it must develop an equally comprehensive response. In its September 2020 report, The Commanding Heights of Global Transportation, SAFE proposed a diverse array of policy recommendations to secure U.S. critical mineral supplies and processing, onshore battery production, scale up EV and related transportation technology manufacturing, and expand the domestic consumer market. In addition, the U.S. must create a regulatory pathway for autonomous transportation and secure advanced telecommunication technology.
Calculating the labor market impact of the recommendations contained in its Commanding Heights of Global Transportation report, SAFE’s proposals create 647,000 jobs sustained over the next 1-5 years, according to independent research commissioned by SAFE. This research was conducted by Dr. Robert Wescott and Keybridge Public Policy Economics.
Released today, The Commanding Heights of Global Transportation: Quantifying the Employment Effects shows SAFE’s recommendations will create 647,000 jobs, including:
- More than 270,000 jobs through investment in transportation manufacturing grants and tax incentives alone.
- Nearly 154,000 jobs through incentives that make it cheaper to buy medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, like trucks and buses.
- 108,000 jobs by advancing next-generation transportation—such as autonomous vehicles—and semiconductor technology.
- 28,000 jobs through developing a critical minerals supply chain and refining that is not controlled by China.
- More than 29,000 jobs through measures to expand U.S. charging infrastructure and energy storage.
The study was conducted independently by Keybridge Public Policy Economics.
