The status of the EV mandate One of the first things that President Trump did when he took office was issue an executive order that considers “the elimination of unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs over other technologies.” This was after Trump declared during his acceptance speech that he would “revoke the electric vehicle mandate.” Guidelines set by the Biden Administration state, among other things, that about half of all vehicle sales in the U.S. by 2032 should be zero-emission vehicles. Trump claims that this is tantamount to an "EV mandate." The term “EV mandate” is used loosely by the President. “It is not a mandate,” said Stephanie Brinley, an analyst at S&P Global Mobility. “It was an aspirational target” set by Biden, she added. It was reported last year that President Donald Trump’s transition team was intent on killing the $7,500 consumer tax credit for electric vehicle purchases. This credit had been a signature measure of the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, to boost EV adoption. The IRA incentives, including the $7,500 EV tax credit, promote the sale of EVs which helps car manufacturers meet the requirements of the Biden guidelines. It is unclear when or if the Trump administration might take concrete steps to eliminate the $7,500 credit. Notably, it would take Congressional action to eliminate the credit. Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated in July, with his usual bravado, that removal of the federal EV tax credit would “only help Tesla” and be devastating to competitors. When asked about the EV mandate during Tesla’s fourth quarter earnings conference call on Wednesday of last week, Musk answered the question obliquely saying, ”I think that sustainable transport is inevitable. I’m highly confident all transport will be autonomous electric…it can’t be stopped any more than one could have stopped the advent of the…the internal combustion engine." Follow me on