UPDATE (6/26): A federal judge in Washington state has ordered the Trump administration to resume distribution of funds to build EV chargers.
Unless the Trump administration appeals the decision within seven days, the money will be returned to 14 states that sued to get it back: Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin, according to Fox Business.
Three states—Minnesota, Vermont, and the District of Columbia—failed to prove they would suffer “irreparable harm” without it.
The Trump administration’s decision to freeze the funding a day after he took office “overstepped their constitutional and statutory authority and…attempted to override the express will of Congress,” says US District Judge Tana Lin. The document opens with a reference to a 1995 episode of The Simpsons, in which “Homer must cut short a tearful goodbye with his long-lost mother after her traveling companions protest that their ‘electric van only has 20 minutes of juice left!'” It goes on to discuss the funding’s critical role in reducing range anxiety.
The Department of Transportation called the judge “another liberal judicial activist making nonsensical rulings from the bench because they hate President Trump,” in a statement to NPR.
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program put in place by former President Biden and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg “was a disaster and failed miserably to deliver EV chargers,” the statement adds. “While we [assess] our legal options, the order does not stop our ongoing work to reform the program, so it actually works for the American people, which continues apace.”
The Trump administration also hopes to eliminate the $7,500 federal EV tax credit through the Big Beautiful Bill and instate a $250 annual fee for EV drivers.
Original Story (1/21):
Among a flurry of executive orders signed by President Trump last night is one that revokes former President Biden’s 2021 executive order setting targets for EVs and emissions standards.
Biden’s order sought to have 50% of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in 2030 be zero-emission vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles. He also instructed the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop stricter emissions standards to achieve it. The EPA finalized the rule in March 2024, with a reduced target of 30% by 2032, including hybrids and not only pure EVs.
Transportation is the US’ largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and a typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, the EPA says, contributing to rising global temperatures. Children are also disproportionately affected by gas-powered vehicle exhaust, according to the American Lung Association.
Trump packaged the Biden EO reversal with dozens of others, saying that “climate extremism has exploded inflation and overburdened businesses with regulation.” But he’s criticized government efforts to incentivize EVs, including state-level calls for automakers to only sell electric vehicles by a certain date.
“We will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American autoworkers,” Trump said in his inaugural address. “In other words, you’ll be able to buy the car of your choice.”
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The Biden administration denied its EV push was a mandate. And the United Auto Workers (UAW) endorsed Biden and, later, VP Kamala Harris for president.
Trump Freezes Cash for Charging Network
One major impediment to EV adoption is the availability of chargers, so a 2021 infrastructure bill signed by Biden allocated $5 billion over five years for a nationwide EV charging network. That, too, is on the chopping block, with Trump freezing the remaining funds from being dispersed in a separate executive order.
“All agencies shall immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022…or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act…including but not limited to 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, and shall review their processes, policies, and programs for issuing grants, loans, contracts, or any other financial disbursements of such appropriated funds for consistency with the law and the policy outlined in…this order.”
EV charging stations have been slower to come to fruition than expected, drawing bipartisan criticism. In anticipation of Trump taking office, the Biden administration released $635 million for more charging infrastructure earlier this month.
What About the EV Tax Credit?
Another big Biden EV effort is the $7,500 federal tax credit. Trump, however, says his administration may axe it.
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In an effort to “promote true consumer choice,” Trump is “considering the elimination of unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs over other technologies and effectively mandate their purchase by individuals, private businesses, and government entities alike by rendering other types of vehicles unaffordable,” he said Monday.
The tax credit has provided major discounts to tens of thousands of qualified buyers. It’s part of the Inflation Reduction Act and runs through 2032. Trump can’t unilaterally repeal it, though he can push Congress to take action.
In a November letter to Trump’s transition team, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation—whose members include Ford and GM—pushed him to keep the tax credit, The Verge reports.
The tax credit has “fueled investment in domestic EV and battery manufacturing and increased good-paying jobs in automotive communities across the industrial base,” the alliance said. “The incentives help ensure the US continues to lead in manufacturing critical to our national and economic security.”
The alliance also noted the tough competition that US brands face from China’s auto industry, given its dominance over the battery supply chain and manufacturing power.
“The electric vehicle market is rapidly evolving as Chinese competitors leverage advantaged cost structures,” Ford said in August when announcing its scaled-back EV ambitions. “An affordable electric vehicle starts with an affordable battery. If you are not competitive on battery cost, you are not competitive.”
At CES, Honda told journalists it still plans to convert to an all-electric lineup, but it could slow the pace of doing so if demand weakens during the Trump Administration. Consumers may still go for an EV, considering their many benefits, including smoother handling, fast acceleration, quiet cabin noise, and lack of dirty exhaust.
About Emily Forlini
Senior Reporter
