By Steven Symes 
A legal fight has been brewing over the Trump administration freezing federal money for EV fast-charger networks in different states, with California leading the charge. The Golden State and 16 other states finally filed a lawsuit on May 7, saying the current administration deprived them of Congressionally approved funds, plus has hamstrung efforts to fight climate change and cut emissions.
BMW believes tariffs will shift in its favor starting in July.
Back in February, the Trump administration pulled the plug on the taxpayer-funded EV chargers, which was going to cost $5 billion. Originally, under the Biden administration there was talk the program would line interstates with charging stations, but that naturally changed into fewer chargers scattered around the few states which were onboard with the program.
The Trump administration has also slashed away at EPA fuel efficiency standards designed to force US consumers into electric cars, further angering those who believe your gas-powered car is killing the planet.
With these taxpayer-funded EV fast-chargers, the intent was to get more people into electric cars because they can be more comfortable about topping off the battery as needed. Yet the 17 state coalition that includes California, Washington, Colorado, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Vermont and the District of Columbia argues EV demand is so high, the chargers are necessary.
“The facts don’t lie: The demand for clean transportation continues to rise, and California will be at the forefront of this transition to a more sustainable, low-emissions future,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Yet the facts are a little different from that. Ford lost $5 billion on EVs last year, Tesla is seeing sales decline, and GM is also retreating from the electric vehicle market as fewer buyers want them.
It’s funny how when American consumers aren’t forced to buy EVs through government regulation, demand suddenly falls. We’re not saying EVs couldn’t become popular, just that their designs and technology obviously have a long way to go before that happens.
We’ll see where this lawsuit goes, because it honestly would be a waste to see $5 billion of our own money spent to build something people don’t even want.
Source: CBT News
Image via Ford