Paul Gessing writes for National Review Online about a significant Trump administration accomplishment.
While the courts have yet to have their say, one of the Trump administration’s most important accomplishments, perhaps second only to his successful crackdown on illegal immigration, may turn out to be the restoration of vehicle choice in a large swath of the country. A total of 17 states (including my home state of New Mexico, which as a large, poorer, and empty state is not a natural market for EVs) had previously signed on voluntarily to California’s Advanced Clean Cars II regulations. These regulations (if continued) would have required automakers to increase the proportion of zero-emission vehicle sales year by year with a 43 percent mandate starting in 2026.
Back in May, Congress passed (and Trump signed) legislation to eliminate California’s mandate. But, according to new data from the pro-EV trade group Alliance for Automotive Innovation, EV sales were already slowing dramatically by the first quarter of 2025. In fact, in Q1 of 2025, auto buyers didn’t just slow the growth of EV purchases, they shifted back to gas vehicles in overwhelming numbers.
This was true in mandate states like New Mexico and across the country. In fact, according to the chart below, the only state to mandate EVs that saw an increase over the fourth quarter of 2024 was Oregon. All but six states lost market share in Q1 2025 vs. Q4 2024, and 23 states saw a market share decrease of 1 percentage point or more. Colorado lost the largest market share with a decrease of 7.2 percentage points, quarter over quarter.
The first quarter of 2025 began before Trump took office and ended at the end of March. Legislation overturning California’s mandate didn’t pass Congress until May. Why did EV sales slow so dramatically at this point? It is hard to say. The fact is that numerous federal and state subsidies for EVs remain in effect.
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Author: Mitch Kokai
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