The day after President Donald Trump and adviser/Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed off the president’s just-purchased Tesla Model S, the Trump administration took the next step in eliminating the Biden administration’s push to increase electric vehicle production.
The day after President Donald Trump showed off the Tesla Model S he bought with CEO Elon Musk, the administration weakened pro-EV rules.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Wednesday plans to review the Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles regulation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles.
Additionally, the agency plans to rethink Biden’s “Clean Trucks Plan,” which aimed to reduce the amount of nitrous oxide, which creates smog and soot, emitted by heavy-duty trucks. The plan ws implemented in 2022. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claims the rules add more than $700 billion in costs to industries trying to meet the requirements.
“The American auto industry has been hamstrung by the crushing regulatory regime of the last administration. As we reconsider nearly $1 trillion of regulatory costs, we will abide by the rule of law to protect consumer choice and the environment,” Zeldin said in a statement.
What’s changing
Trump said he purchased the Model S to show support for Musk, who has been the subject of protests — non-violent and violent — related to his efforts to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget.
The moves would delay the Biden administration’s push to have automakers build more EVs, which follows Trump’s move to eliminate efforts by his predecessor to get car companies to make 50% of their new vehicles battery-electric by 2030.
EPA officials are reconsidering 2024 rules reducing passenger vehicle fleetwide tailpipe emissions nearly 50% by 2032 compared with 2027 projected levels, Reuters reported. The agency previously forecast 35% to 56% of new vehicles sold between 2030 and 2032 would need to be electric to meet the new requirements.
As for the Clean Trucks plan, the 2022 mandates are 80% tougher and could cut 2,900 premature deaths annually and ultimately save $29 billion annually, according to the Reuters report.
Goodwill gone
The move to cut EV production was a tenet of Trump’s campaign platform, and the administration’s made several additional moves to make that happen while threatening to make more. However, for some reason, Trump felt compelled to buy a new Model S.
Musk has been the subject of several different forms of protest, including this not-so-subtle jab.
During the media session where Trump and Musk showed off the vehicle, the president noted Musk has been “treated unfairly by a very small group of people and I want people to know that you can’t be penalized for being a patriot and he’s a great patriot. He’s also done an incredible job with Tesla.”
Musk’s efforts to cut “$2 trillion” from the U.S. government’s budget has been met with protests from both parties, lawsuits by affected federal government employees and most recently destructive acts against Tesla vehicles and Supercharging stations.
While reviewing a lineup of Tesla vehicles in front of the White House Tuesday, Trump pointed the finger at “radical” Democrats for organizing boycotts against Musk and Tesla, looking to “attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for.”
More Tesla News
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Tesla problems
Tesla’s struggles are real. The stock price has plummeted as sales continue to fall. Musk’s unpopular moves are exacerbating the issues with the EV maker.
A dozen Teslas were torched at a dealership in France.
Tesla’s stock price has tumbled nearly 60% since reaching a post-election high in mid-December. However, as Musk continues to exert political influence in the U.S. and Europe, the stock continues to fall. Additionally, some opponents are getting more aggressive in their protests.
Prosecutors recently opened an investigation into an apparent arson fire in the southern French city of Toulouse last week, eight Teslas parked outside the showroom completely destroyed, four others damaged. Four Cybertrucks were burned at a storage facility used by a Seattle dealership.
A Loveland, Colorado Tesla dealership has been hit by repeat arson and vandalism attacks, a statement issued by the Loveland Police Department said. Police have charged Lucy Gray Nelson with at least some of the incidents, alleging she used Molotov cocktails to set fire to the vehicles. A reporter for the Fort Collins Coloradan newspaper also saw the building spray painted with the words “Nazi Car.” That appeared to reference Tesla CEO’s apparent use of the Nazi-style “Sieg Heil” salute during an event last month.
Tesla’s plunge over the past month continues – and has wiped out hundreds of billions in market capital.
Less violent
Others are following more traditional, non-violent routes to express their displeasure with Musk.
Peaceful protests have become increasingly common outside Tesla dealerships in cities including New York and Chicago — drawing thousands of people in recent days. Signs held by protestors called for Musk to be fired by Tesla, as well as by the White House, the South African-born executive serving as head of Pres. Donald Trump’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency.
Angel investor Joanne Wilson said she is getting rid of her Model S and is considering the idea of letting members of the public smash it with sledgehammers.
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