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Hello and welcome to the Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Sunday, May 26, 2024. Electric vehicles are in demand.

sales here and in markets around the world will reach their highest levels

ever this year.

But a big sticking point remains, even with tax

incentives and rebates, the price for EVs is still thousands of dollars higher

than their gas-guzzling cousins. The Biden administration's at 2030 as the goal for when half of all new vehicles sold

would be electric powered.

The question is, can we get there?

Our guest today is Duncan Wood, the Vice President for Strategy

and new initiatives at the Wilson Center, a nonprofit think tank. Thanks for

joining us Duncan. Great pleasure to be with you, Dana.

Evies have always embodied the dream of a carbon-free future,

but there seemed to be speed bumps on the way to getting there.

What do you see as the biggest obstacles here in the U.S. right now?

I think there's a number of issues that are facing the manufacturers, the OEMs, as we call them, for EVs.

First of all, we see the incredible lead that the Chinese auto industry has developed

over the past 10 years or so in producing manufacturing electric vehicles and really getting them up to a world-class quality.

Secondly, I think that we see the challenges that are being faced by the manufacturers here in North America

when it comes to securing access to the electric vehicle battery materials that you need.

And by that I'm talking about the classic critical minerals of

...