Musk, Tesla officials meet with White House to discuss EVs

Robert Besser
01 Feb 2023, 19:35 GMT+10

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk met with John Podesta, a Democratic stalwart who serves as Biden's senior adviser for clean energy innovation, and Mitch Landrieu, who oversees infrastructure spending
During the meeting, both sides discussed how Tesla and the White House can jointly increase production and accelerate the electrification of US vehicle networks
Musk and Biden have often clashed over political and labor issues

WASHINGTON D.C.: The White House said this week that Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk met with John Podesta, a Democratic stalwart who serves as Biden's senior adviser for clean energy innovation, and Mitch Landrieu, who oversees infrastructure spending.

During the meeting, both sides discussed how Tesla and the White House can jointly increase production and accelerate the electrification of US vehicle networks.

Musk and Biden have often clashed over political and labor issues.

"John Podesta and Mitch Landrieu met with Elon Musk to discuss shared goals around electrification and how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act can advance electric vehicle production and charging, as well as the broader cause of electrification," a White House spokesperson told Reuters.

On Twitter, Musk said it was "True" that he met with the two officials, after the Reuters report.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later confirmed the meeting, adding that Musk did not meet with Biden.

The meeting highlights Biden's commitment to EVs and the infrastructure and inflation reduction laws passed last year, she said.

Last week, Musk also met with Republican Representatives James Comer and Jim Jordan, the chairs of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees.

Additionally, Musk met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and briefly greeted House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Tesla has benefited from tax subsidies available to buyers of its EVs.