Trump’s Plan: Rescind Tailpipe Pollution Protections & Clean Car Standards

Trump promised to repeal efforts to bolster EV affordability and rescind tailpipe pollution protections and clean car standards. Here’s what this executive action would mean for Americans, our choices, and the air we breathe. 

Trump’s Promises:

• Trump promised on the campaign trail that he would end the supposed “electric vehicle mandate on day one.”
• Trump pledged to end a supposed ban on gas-powered automobiles on day one.
• Trump’s transition team advocated for rolling back vehicle pollution and fuel-economy standards.

The Impacts:

• Made-in-America EVs are driving job creation here at home, and attacks on EVs harm American jobs and local economies.
  • As of December 31, 2024, companies had announced 65,420 new EV jobs in the U.S. since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
  • A new study from the University of Michigan found that plants in the ramp-up stages of transitioning to full-scale EV production saw assembly jobs increase as much as ten times.
  • All major automakers remain committed to EV investments, with GM, Ford, and Stellantis continuing to plan billion-dollar investments in new EV factories and models, providing jobs and economic growth to communities. 
  • 57 percent of battery cells and 84 percent of battery packs in plug-in EVs sold between 2010 and 2021 were produced in the U.S.
• A rollback of vehicle pollution protections would pollute the air we breathe, harm our health, and increase costs for Americans at the pump.
  • Current vehicle pollution protections are projected to provide nearly $100 billion of annual net benefits to society – including $13 billion in public health costs due to air quality improvements.
  • Current protections would also avoid 7 billion tons of climate-warming pollution and would produce $62 billion in reduced annual fuel costs, and maintenance and repair costs for drivers.
• A ban on EV sales would not only increase prices for Americans and limit their choices, but it would also threaten clean air and our health.
  • A study from the American Lung Association found that moving to zero-emission new passenger vehicle sales would save $978 billion in cumulative public health benefits by 2050 – reducing premature deaths by 89,300, asthma attacks by 2.2 million, and lost workdays by 10.7 million.
  • Driving an average EV in the U.S. produces less than a third of the emissions of the average new gasoline car, and the total lifecycle emissions for medium-sized battery electric vehicles sold in the United States are 60 to 68 percent lower than emissions from combustion engine vehicles.
  • EVs are cheaper to own over the long haul than gas-powered vehicles because of lower recurring costs.
    • EV owners save $1,700 per year in fuel and maintenance costs alone, and a University of Michigan study found that switching to an EV would save consumers 55 percent on transport costs.
    • In April 2024, an annual EV cost study found that nearly half of all EVs were cheaper to own than gas vehicles.
  • The U.S. EV market now has more than 50 unique models, giving consumers more affordable options, and auto companies are only expanding their EV offerings.