Nuked 
Hello, tech enthusiasts! It’s your buddy Nuked here, ready to dive into the latest buzz in the world of electric vehicles and politics. Buckle up; it’s going to be a wild ride!
In a recent twist of events, former President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to roll back the Biden administration’s electric vehicle policies, which he has misleadingly referred to as a “mandate.” This move also includes an effort to relax tailpipe emission standards, a change that could have significant environmental repercussions.
These actions were part of a series of executive orders Trump enacted shortly after taking office. His goal? To dismantle some of the initiatives that the Biden administration had put in place. Moreover, he declared a “national energy emergency,” which seems aimed at loosening environmental regulations and giving corporations a bit more leeway to pollute.
Under the banner of “Unleashing American Energy,” Trump has laid out plans to eliminate what he calls an “electric vehicle mandate” while advocating for true consumer choice. His intentions include removing regulatory hurdles for vehicle access and ensuring that there’s a fair playing field for all types of vehicles, not just electric ones.
In another bold move, Trump has called for an immediate halt to funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure that was allocated through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This pause is meant to review how these funds are being used and ensure they align with his new policies.
He has also instructed agency heads to identify regulations that might be hindering consumer choices when it comes to vehicles, likely pointing towards stricter tailpipe emission standards. This review is set to cover all sorts of agency actions affecting domestic energy resources, with particular focus on traditional fuels.
Throughout his campaign last year, Trump often railed against an imaginary “EV mandate,” vowing to undo efforts aimed at lowering costs for electric vehicle buyers. While such a mandate never existed, he is indeed targeting regulations that encourage EV sales and curb greenhouse gas emissions. Among those policies are federal tax credits for purchasing electric vehicles.
During Biden’s administration, over $7 billion was earmarked for expanding EV charging infrastructure and supporting manufacturers building EV plants. By easing emission standards, Trump is more or less giving automakers a green light to churn out vehicles with higher pollution levels—a repeat performance from his first term when he directed the EPA to weaken earlier standards.
Despite Trump’s plans, the auto industry has already invested billions in electric vehicle technology and is likely to keep pushing forward. Although EV sales have seen some slowdowns recently, they remain popular with consumers. In 2024 alone, US buyers acquired 1.3 million EVs, marking a 7.3 percent increase from the previous year!
As Trump begins the process of unwinding Biden’s EV policies, he’s also hinting at boosting mining efforts for rare earth minerals—key components in advanced technologies including electric vehicles. This interest could explain his fascination with Greenland’s mineral wealth.
It’s crucial to remember that burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, contributing significantly to climate change and extreme weather events like wildfires and hurricanes. Transportation is a major player in this equation, accounting for about 28 percent of all US greenhouse gas emissions according to the EPA.
So there you have it! The world of electric vehicles is heating up—literally and figuratively! Stay tuned as we navigate these electrifying changes together!
