Today, the White House will host an event related to the future of electric vehicle sales in the U.S. and has invited vehicle manufacturers to share in the upcoming announcements.
President Joe Biden has already announced on Twitter he will be signing an executive order with a goal of 50% sales of 0 emissions vehicles by 2030 in the U.S.
But the most popular EV maker in the world, Tesla Inc TSLA, will be missing from the event. And no one seems to know why.
In a cars.com study published in June of this year, Tesla topped the charts as the #1 most American-made vehicle with the Tesla Model 3, produced in Fremont, California. Tesla also took the third-place spot with the Tesla Model Y. And Tesla's fleet is already 100% electric, coming far ahead of the White House's goal of 50% zero-emissions vehicles by 2030.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk even commented on Twitter, saying "Yeah, seems odd that Tesla wasn’t invited."
When asked about the missing automaker, even U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg didn't have an answer when asked on CNBC, responding "I'm not sure."
Buttigieg went on to mention expanding beyond luxury and vehicles that can only "zip around cities." These comments show that Buttigieg may not be familiar with Tesla, considering the company makes the longest range EVs, has the most expansive charging network allowing cross-country travel, and a Tesla Model 3 can cost less over the long term than a Toyota Camry.
Why is $TSLA @elonmusk absent from today's White House event on #electricvehicles?
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) August 5, 2021
"I'm not sure. What I know is you are seeing so many leaders in industry," says @SecretaryPete pic.twitter.com/Buv06fMiPm
Benzinga's Take: The only explanation that would make sense is that Tesla has already reached the White House's goal of producing 50% renewable energy vehicles, so there is no reason to invite Tesla to the event.
But the company is a great American success story, employing thousands of Americans, and has done more than any other auto manufacturer to push electrical vehicles.
Photo: Tesla Model 3 courtesy of Tesla.