This week’s transportation decarbonization news was dominated by President Donald Trump’s first steps to unravel federal regulations and programs boosting zero-emission vehicles. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order declaring an end to the “electric vehicle mandate.”

The “Unleashing American Energy” order directs agencies to review and rescind regulations that are “unduly burdensome” for consumer choice. The administration is poised to roll back Biden-era rules regarding tailpipe emissions and vehicle efficiency, though this will take time. The first Trump administration took more than three years to rescind vehicle efficiency rules, Wired notes. 

Legacy carmakers have lobbied to keep the emissions and efficiency regulations in place and have urged policy stability. As the leaders of major automakers skipped the inauguration, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took a front-row seat and spurred outrage for an apparent Nazi salute at a post-inauguration rally. 

Trump’s executive order also takes aim at California’s Clean Air Act waiver, which enables the state to set stricter emissions rules. The looming legal battle over California’s waiver could end up in the Supreme Court, which declined to rule on a challenge to the state’s waiver authority in December. 

While EV incentives included in the Inflation Reduction Act, including the $7,500 consumer tax credit, can only be repealed by Congress, Trump ordered all agencies to “immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act … or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.” 

He specifically took aim at the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program. Repealing these could hurt the rollout of new zero-carbon charging and fueling infrastructure. 

Potential 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada could also create significant challenges for the auto industry, including increased vehicle costs and job losses. 

In other industry news, Stellantis scrapped plans for a Ram electric pickup with a 500-mile range. The company said the decision was driven by consumer interest, and that it will focus its attention on a version of the truck with a 350-mile range. 

In heavy-duty vehicle news, some California charging stations are turning to microgrids and local power to meet their charging needs as they cope with interconnection delays. Utilities in the state are also working on flexible interconnection programs, which could ease interconnection challenges for charging stations able to decrease their demand on the grid during peak hours. 

All that and more in this week’s Intelligence Report: