A quick glance on the Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA) homepage reveals an impressive list of well-known corporate icons of the electric vehicle (EV) world.

This special end-of-year installment of Five Questions, Five Answers comes on the heels of the November elections and the onslaught of headlines warning of new US tariffs affecting a wide range of the industry’s supply chain. The conversation was recorded at the end of 2024, but its focus was squarely on 2025 and beyond. 

Highlights of the conversation include:

• On tariffs, Mr. Gore urges a “balanced” approach, recognizing the importance of domestic manufacturing and the need for “flexible” tariff applications.
• The upcoming United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement “review” and ZETA’s plans to represent members’ interests.
• The bipartisan 2022 Inflation Reduction Act spurred production investments in the United States, many of which are still in early production stages. Predictability is key to these investment decisions, and the final regulations implementing the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit (45x) are a “critical step forward.”
• Members of the 119th US Congress take their seats in early January 2025. ZETA’s legislative advocacy plan aims to make the case for EV manufacturing.