Car Companies Are Already Pushing Back On EV Mandates After Election Results

The excessive push to force electric cars on consumers may be coming to a dramatic halt under a Trump administration. And car companies, just a few days after the election, are ready to push back on the Biden-Harris administration‘s disastrous electric vehicle mandates.

Toyota, which has frequently spoken out against electric cars, became one of the first manufacturers to publicly state their opposition to the current EV policies in effect across the country. North American COO Jack Hollis, per a Bloomberg article, said that those mandates are “not in alignment with consumers,” and that the “de facto mandates” are out of line with current consumer demand for electric cars.

Hollis also said that electric car sales should be determined by the market telling manufacturers and dealers what they want, as opposed to government intervention attempting to force buyers into specific cars. What a novel idea!

A Kia electric vehicle charges at a newly installed Charge Point charging station on September 14, 2024, in Hoboken, New Jersey.  (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

Electric Car Demand Plummets As People Live With Them

Electric cars do have their uses; generally they’re cheaper to operate, can pack in more horsepower and are useful for short trips. But there are a limitless number of problems that car buyers have begun to notice.

READ: Nobody Who Buys An Electric Car Wants To Get Another One: SURVEY

Charging infrastructure is awful; outside of Tesla, there’s little widespread fast charging available. And even when it is available, it’s frequently out of service, operating at reduced power, or facing overflowing capacity. Adding home charging is expensive and still relatively slow, making spur of the moment trips more difficult.

EVs also have reduced utility in extreme weather, making them harder to use in places like Minnesota, the rest of the upper Midwest or Northeast. It’s also undesirable to spend 30-40 minutes charging with babies, dogs, or young children forced to sit around waiting.

Not to mention the reduced resale value, declining range as battery health degrades over time, and the initial higher expense. 

Some are willing to make those sacrifices, but that’s the point, and Toyota’s point. Some are, some aren’t. Some need gas cars for longer trips or don’t live in single-family homes, making charging more difficult. Mandates, or forced consumer behavior, never works. Which is exactly why the Biden administration tried it, to the entire industry’s dismay.

READ: Nearly 4,000 Car Dealerships Ask Biden To Stop Electric Car Policies After Demand Collapses

Even electric cars from highly desirable brands like Mercedes, Audi and Porsche are sitting at dealerships for months on end, with heavy advertised discounts and massive losses. People don’t want them, because the infrastructure is simply not ready for mass adoption. Thankfully, the destructive mandates seem unlikely to continue under a second Trump administration. And that’s a win for everyone.