How the U.S. Auto Industry Is Losing the EV Race

There was a time when U.S. automakers dominated the global car industry  with their products and innovations. But when it comes to electric vehicles, which accounted for a quarter of global auto sales in 2025, the U.S. is barely a player.  China now builds roughly three-quarters of the world’s EVs; the United States about five percent.  We’ll talk about how the widening technology gap and lukewarm federal support for clean vehicles threatens the entire U.S. auto industry with obsolescence, and what California is doing about it.

Guests:

• Ethan Elkind, director of the climate program at the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, UC Berkeley School of Law; host, Climate Break podcast
• Susan Helper, economics professor, Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western University; formerly Chief Economist for the Commerce Department during the Obama Administration
• Matthew Shaer, contributing writer, New York Times Magazine