It's official. At noon on January 20, 2024, President Donald J. Trump took the oath of office at the Capitol Rotunda to start his second term at the Oval Office.
The tone of the occasion and other inauguration day-related events—much of which were moved indoors for cold weather-related purposes—signaled that Trump's return was the start of a new era, one that he feels will be driven by sweeping change.
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In the weeks prior, Trump's transition team teased an onslaught of "day one policies" and executive orders that would take effect as soon as he first takes a seat at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office—including those that have major consequences for EVs and the auto industry.
However, as Americans watched the spectacle that occurred on Inauguration day, they also watched EVs take a back seat to the purpose of policy.
EVs were a target in Trump's first wave of executive orders
In his 30-minute speech in front of distinguished guests at the Capitol Rotunda, Trump promised his White House comeback would unleash a "tide of change," which was physically symbolized by the nearly 200 executive orders, actions, and proclamations signed the same day.
Among other Biden-era bureaucracy issues that Trump wowed to reverse, electric vehicle policy was one that the president explicitly mentioned in his remarks. He pledged to undo what he has called Biden's "electric vehicle mandate" as part of a larger portfolio of immediate energy policy actions.
"With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal, and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American autoworkers," Trump said at the Capitol Rotunda minutes after taking the oath of office on Jan. 20.
"In other words, you'll be able to buy the car of your choice. We will build automobiles in America again at a rate that nobody could have dreamt possible just a few years ago. And thank you to the auto workers of our nation for your inspiring vote of confidence. We did tremendously with their vote."
Reversing a symbolic EV gesture was buried deep in Trump's first executive order
The first executive order signed following the inaugural parade later on in the day at the Capital One Arena revoked 78 Biden-era executive orders, including a symbolic gesture meant to put the former administration's EV goals on paper.
Among the 78 executive orders that Trump revoked with a swipe of a Sharpie was an August 2021 executive order signed by Joe Biden that set a non-legally binding target for the U.S. auto industry to electrify 50% of new vehicles sold by 2030; Biden's order notably included sales of EVs and [gas-powered] plug-in hybrids.
In addition, Trump signed another executive order titled "Unleashing American Energy " later in the day, which established the administration's "drill, baby, drill" energy goals on paper.
Among the tenets was a commitment to eliminating what he calls an "electric vehicle (EV) mandate," which he feels is needed to "promote true consumer choice, which is essential for economic growth and innovation, by removing regulatory barriers to motor vehicle access."
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The order also referred to a core component of the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act, as the text of the EO said that the Trump administration will also consider ending what he calls "unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs over other technologies."
The content in Trump's executive orders was not limited to the manufacture of EVs themselves but also aimed to affect the entire EV ecosystem.
The same executive order also directed federal agencies to "immediately pause the disbursement of funds [...] 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," which directly puts federally-backed EV charging infrastructure projects in his administration's crosshairs.
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Trump's undoing would block progress, Biden admin official said.
Although the executive orders signed on Trump's first official day in office are largely symbolic 'on-paper' commitments that do not provide any specific policy actions regarding emissions rules, EV tax credits or manufacturing incentives, the moves made are a step toward undoing the previous administration's policy.
In an interview with The Verge published before Trump's inauguration, outgoing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg noted that while he isn't worried about "an EV mandate since there isn’t one," Buttigieg sees that Trump's idea that reversing policy he had a hand in, in the name of 'saving the American auto industry' is a direct anthesis to what his work has been trying to do.
"I am concerned that he might take steps to make EVs more expensive for American consumers. And that would be unfortunate. The work we’ve done to make EVs more affordable is part of why there are more and more jobs being created in the industrial Midwest, in places like where I grew up that are seeing a level of auto industry growth that we haven’t had since the ’60s," Buttigieg told The Verge.
"I think that needs to be kept up, especially because there is clearly a ferocious innovation competition with China. They’re using all the tools in their tool kit to try to edge us out, and we can’t let that happen."
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