Sentence:  But electric vehicles and the batteries that made them run became ensnared in corporate scandals, fraud, and monopolistic <WSD>corruption</WSD> that shook the confidence of the nation and inspired automotive upstarts. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The act of corrupting or of impairing integrity, virtue, or moral principle; the state of being corrupted or debased; loss of purity or integrity; depravity; wickedness; impurity; bribery.