The incoming administration appears poised to slash funding for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.
Transition documents seen by Reuters reveal that the next Trump administration plans to aggressively retract federal support for electric vehicles, reports Jonathan M. Gitlin in Wired.
According to Gitlin, “Trade tariffs will evidently be a major weapon of the next Trump administration, particularly when deployed to block EV manufacturing. Even the current administration has been wary enough of China dumping cheap EVs that it instituted singeing tariffs on Chinese-made EVs and batteries, with bipartisan support from Congress.”
The incoming administration plans to eliminate the federal EV tax credit, claw back some of the $7.5 billion in funding dedicated to developing a charging network, and apply tariffs to battery materials globally, which will make EVs more expensive — including for U.S. automakers. “Currently the federal government is required to purchase more EVs as it replaces old vehicles, with a requirement for all light vehicles to be zero emissions by 2027. This will no longer be the case under Trump, who will also end any Department of Defense programs that are meant to purchase or develop electric military vehicles.”
FULL STORY: Trump Will Reportedly Block the US Government and Military From Buying EVs
California launches $3,500 EV rebate
A new rebate program aims to maintain momentum for EV adoption as the federal government eliminates other incentives.
California Beats EV Adoption Goal by Over 1 Million Vehicles
The state pledged to put 1.5 million EVs on its roads by 2025.
California Backtracks on Pledge to Save EV Subsidy
Despite a November promise to replace the federal EV subsidy with a state incentive, Governor Newsom now says the state cannot make up for the “federal vandalism” of EV tax credits.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association