Biden pitches $174 bln electric vehicle plan in Michigan

DEARBORN, Mich./WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden is making the case for his $174 billion electric vehicle plan on Tuesday, calling for government grants for new battery production facilities during a visit to a Ford Motor electric-vehicle plant in Michigan.

Biden told said ahead of the visit that the U.S. must ramp up efforts on EVs to compete with China, which is outselling the U.S. "We've got to take over the world market -- that's what this is about -- being the best in the world and exporting these," he said. "We're at an inflection point." He has ruled out consumer incentives for high-priced electric luxury models, according to a White House fact sheet, as he argues for dramatic government spending to prod Americans to buy electric vehicles at a preview of Ford's new EV version of its best-selling F-150 pickup truck.