Report: Koch Brothers Gear Up For EV Smackdown

2017 Chevrolet Bolt (Credit: Chevrolet)

Some people want to kill the electric car again, for good. At the front of the line are the Kochs. The Huffington Post reports that Koch Industries has been working with other powerful players in the petroleum industry, creating a new advocacy group to take down vehicle electrification, among other things.

The report is full of all sorts of juicy tidbits, but what you need to know is that it’s getting together with big companies like Tesoro Corp. and Valero Energy to help change the “energy narrative.” You can pretty much guess it has something to do with how oil companies keep arguing electric cars actually pollute more and are driven only by evil trolls, or something of that nature.

Get ready for plenty of advertising campaigns that portray oil as the victim in the whole energy debate. They’ll also likely be arguing that oil creates American jobs, something apparently electricity does not accomplish. This should be pretty interesting.

The group reportedly will also go after government incentives for anyone purchasing an electric or plug-in hybrid car. Many electrification advocates are quick to point out that oil companies also receive breaks from the government, even though they aren’t handed out at the pump.

Elon Musk used his Twitter account to voice his displeasure at the news. He pointed out the tax credits oil companies get, plus “unpaid public health costs” from emissions.

While electric car advocates can get all bent out of shape at this news, it actually is greats news for them. The Kochs and other big hitters in the petroleum industry view electric cars as a viable threat, not just something to be laughed at. With vehicles like the Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3 about to launch, EVs will start making up a sizable chunk of new models on the road.

No matter which side of the debate you’re on, this energy cage match should be pretty entertaining to watch.