Letters to the Editor: China dominates the EV market, but that doesn’t mean we should give up

To the editor: California set the standard for efficiency when electric vehicles were in their infancy and we all benefited. Now, it’s China that dominates the market, so much so that Volkswagen will be manufacturing 30 EV models in China at about half the cost of production in Germany. That, combined with China’s huge investments in renewable energy-powered manufacturing, means the U.S. won’t be competitive in a global market.

So, I get why the president wants to force Americans into internal combustion engine cars: to prop up an industry that has let its competition get ahead (“Trump plans to weaken vehicle mileage rules that limit air pollution,” Dec. 3). But in this game of musical chairs, is it really winning when the music stops on a fossil fuel-reliant infrastructure? Renewable energy isn’t going anywhere, and the rest of the world will be using it to power their cars at pennies on the dollar.

Pam Brennan, Newport Beach

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To the editor: This is yet another step in President Trump’s dismantling of climate change initiatives. He has already ignorantly ranted that climate change is a “con job.”

The indifference shown to the severe consequences for our children and grandchildren from climate change, predicted by overwhelming scientific evidence, is appalling.

Climate change is not a high-priority voter issue. Even still, the best thing we can do is to vote out Trump’s sycophantic congressional Republicans in the upcoming midterms, primarily to provide pushback to Trump’s other egregious actions. But it would also reduce his congressional support for the dismantling of climate change initiatives.

The U.S. obviously can’t solve the climate change problem by itself, but we are a necessary part of the effort.

Jack Holtzman, San Diego