Admiral Dennis Blair From The Electrification Coalition Speaks Out for Direct Sales of EVs

May 13, 2021

Electrification Coalition Support of SB 127 Comes from National Security Perspective

The Electrification Coalition supports SB 127. Its mission statement states: “Accelerate the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles to improve our national and economic security.” Several prominent retired military leaders, including Admiral Dennis Blair, are affiliated with the organization because of the national security benefits of reducing our country’s dependence on oil. Admiral Blair made the following remarks in testimony before Washington legislators on the subject of direct sales of electric vehicles:

“Our group has long seen electric vehicles, and specifically the domestic EV industry, as the most promising solution to break oil’s monopoly over the transportation system. And as the world shifts from gasoline to EVs, China’s dominance of the entire EV supply chain makes scaling up the U.S. market even more urgent.

“As has been made clear in state after state, direct sales is one of the most effective and powerful policy levers to enhance EV deployment.  Some 80% of EVs sold in the country are through direct sales, and states that are open to direct sales see adoption rates of up to 5 times the rates of states that are closed—even in the absence of other direct incentives.”

–         Admiral Dennis C. Blair, Former Director of National Intelligence and Commander In Chief, U.S. Pacific Command