Nov 19, 2025 07:27 PM
https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/202...revolution
EXCERPTS: Donald Trump is not a fan of electric vehicles. In a 2023 Christmas message, he claimed “All Electric Vehicle Lunacy” thugs, among others, were “looking to destroy our once great USA. MAY THEY ROT IN HELL.” And even though he did end up buying an EV from his political mega-donor Elon Musk, Trump has tried to quash the American electric vehicle market, from halting funding for chargers to waiving fines for fuel efficiency violations.
But here’s the question: Are we getting to the point where EVs make sense even without the government? Electric vehicles are no longer the niche novelty they once were, and sales worldwide have been exploding since Trump last left office. In some countries new EVs are as common as gas cars—if not more. In China, EVs make up roughly 50% of new car sales. In Norway it’s nearly 90%.
So are we at a tipping point on EVs? Is the world just going to pick up momentum and leave the US in the dust? Or is there still a window in which Trump can slam on the brakes?
[...] No more carrots. If you want EVs to take over, you need people to buy them. And one of the things that had been sweetening the deal for US car buyers was a hefty tax credit from the federal government—up to $7,500 on new electric vehicles. But that credit, which was supposed to go through 2032, got axed as part of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” And when it officially expired at the end of September, as experts were predicting, sales of electric vehicles subsequently plummeted. Estimates put their market share going from 12% to only 5% that month.
[...] The US is not the only market—and it’s not the biggest. While it looks as though U.S. auto makers are now walking back from visions of an all-electric future, they’re not closing up shop. In August, Ford announced they were investing a further $5 billion into electric vehicle production. Part of the logic might be that, while the U.S. is a major market, it’s not the only one. And even if the US cools down, the world at large is still pushing ahead. Globally, around 1-in-5 new cars sold is now electric. In China, that number is nearly 1-in-2. If U.S. automakers want to tap into those markets, they’ll need to be prepared to meet the demand... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: Donald Trump is not a fan of electric vehicles. In a 2023 Christmas message, he claimed “All Electric Vehicle Lunacy” thugs, among others, were “looking to destroy our once great USA. MAY THEY ROT IN HELL.” And even though he did end up buying an EV from his political mega-donor Elon Musk, Trump has tried to quash the American electric vehicle market, from halting funding for chargers to waiving fines for fuel efficiency violations.
But here’s the question: Are we getting to the point where EVs make sense even without the government? Electric vehicles are no longer the niche novelty they once were, and sales worldwide have been exploding since Trump last left office. In some countries new EVs are as common as gas cars—if not more. In China, EVs make up roughly 50% of new car sales. In Norway it’s nearly 90%.
So are we at a tipping point on EVs? Is the world just going to pick up momentum and leave the US in the dust? Or is there still a window in which Trump can slam on the brakes?
[...] No more carrots. If you want EVs to take over, you need people to buy them. And one of the things that had been sweetening the deal for US car buyers was a hefty tax credit from the federal government—up to $7,500 on new electric vehicles. But that credit, which was supposed to go through 2032, got axed as part of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” And when it officially expired at the end of September, as experts were predicting, sales of electric vehicles subsequently plummeted. Estimates put their market share going from 12% to only 5% that month.
[...] The US is not the only market—and it’s not the biggest. While it looks as though U.S. auto makers are now walking back from visions of an all-electric future, they’re not closing up shop. In August, Ford announced they were investing a further $5 billion into electric vehicle production. Part of the logic might be that, while the U.S. is a major market, it’s not the only one. And even if the US cools down, the world at large is still pushing ahead. Globally, around 1-in-5 new cars sold is now electric. In China, that number is nearly 1-in-2. If U.S. automakers want to tap into those markets, they’ll need to be prepared to meet the demand... (MORE - missing details)