Trump Terminates Biden’s EV Goals with Executive Order
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday issued an executive order rescinding Joe Biden’s 2021 electric vehicle (EV) target. Biden had aimed to ensure that half of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. would be electric by 2030. This target was non-binding and had garnered support from both domestic and foreign automakers, according to a Reuters report.
In his executive order, Trump halted the distribution of unused funds from a $5 billion allocation for charging stations. He also announced plans to revoke state-level authorizations for adopting zero-emission vehicle policies by 2035 and directed consideration of repealing EV tax incentives.
Trump has instructed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider stringent emissions rules, which currently require automakers to achieve 30% to 56% EV sales by 2032. Furthermore, he ordered a review of parallel regulations under the Department of Transportation.
The executive order also targets California’s mandate to ban the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. This decision has already been adopted by 11 other states. Trump stated that ending such mandates was necessary to eliminate “unfair subsidies and market distortions” that favor the EV industry at the expense of other technologies.
Trump further announced plans to boost domestic oil production and signaled intentions to roll back Biden’s clean energy initiatives, which include subsidies for wind and solar power as well as incentives for hydrogen production.
