Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes Biden administration 'biased' after White House EV event

Following Tesla's exclusion from a White House event held to tout US automakers' progress in the electric vehicle sector, CEO Elon Musk said he believes there's a bias against the company he oversees. President Joe Biden hosted General Motors, Ford and Stellantis last month to underscore a shift to electric vehicles, declaring a goal to make at least 50% of all new vehicle sales electric by the end of this decade. 

It's not clear if the administration declined to invite Tesla; the White House did not immediately return a request for comment.

Tesla does not operate a public relations department to field requests for comment, but Bloomberg reported on comments Musk made during the Code Conference in Beverly Hills, California, on Tuesday. "It's not the friendliest administration," he said. "It seems to be controlled by the unions." 

Tesla does not employ unionized labor, though the United Auto Workers union has attempted to organize its workers in the past. The National Labor Relations Board this past spring found Musk violated US labor laws by threatening workers for attempting to unionize and firing one employee leading the cause.

The Biden administration continues to work toward incentivizing EV ownership, as Congress inches closer to reforming the important federal EV tax credit. These efforts have also come under fire from Musk on Twitter. The most recent proposal would boost the tax credit by $4,500 to $12,500, though it would require automakers to build an EV in the US with union labor and US-made batteries. Although Tesla builds its cars in California, it would miss out on the $4,500 boost due to its nonunion workforce. Tesla would be eligible for at least the minimum $7,500 credit, however.

Meet Roadshow's long-term 2021 Tesla Model Y

+21 More

See all photos