The Biden administration on Thursday awarded $1.7 billion to convert nearly a dozen shuttered or at-risk automobile plants into factories that can make electric vehicles and their parts. The grants will assist 11 plants across eight states — Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and Virginia — and are designed to support “good-paying union jobs” while helping the U.S. compete with foreign players in the EV market, according to the Department of Energy. President...