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[quote=jsteele]There has been a lot of talk about what the second Donald Trump administration will mean with regard to electric vehicles. An executive order that Trump signed yesterday gives some early indications. Based on what we've seen so far, there is likely to be considerably more smoke than fire. The EO in question was titled, "Unleashing American Energy". The document mentions electric vehicles in two sections. First, in section 2, it says that it is the policy of the United States to "eliminate the “electric vehicle (EV) mandate’ and promote true consumer choice...". The primary problem with this is that there is no "electric vehicle mandate". As best I can tell, this refers to an executive order issued by former President Joe Biden that calls for "bolstering our domestic market by setting a goal that 50 percent of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in 2030 be zero-emission vehicles..." This is simply an aspirational goal, not a law, not a regulation, and certainly not a mandate.

In the same section of Trump's EO, it says that the administration will consider "the elimination of unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs over other technologies...". This would appear to target the tax credits that EVs now receive. However, it only says that such elimination will be considered. At this point, nothing is being done in regard to those rebates. Moreover, since the rebates are written into law, a law will be required to change them. While this could happen as part of the reconciliation bill being considered on the Hill, it is likely that EV rebates will survive for the time being.

Electric vehicles come up again in Section 7, in which the EO calls for pausing funding for Green New Deal programs, including "funds for electric vehicle charging stations made available through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program..." This refers to the NEVI program that is aimed at installing EV fast chargers along freeways throughout the country. However, NEVI grants are administered by states, and almost all of the funds have already been distributed. A federal pause will have almost no impact on the building of NEVI charging sites.

It would be naive to suggest that the Trump administration will have no impact on the future of EVs. Clearly, there will be an effect, and it will not be good. But things are not as dire as some may have feared. A mandate that does not exist has been repealed, tax credits will remain available, and a funding pause that affects almost no money at all will go into effect. This is probably the least amount of damage for which EV fans could have hoped.
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