In recent years, it has become abundantly clear that the fight against smog in the region depends on widespread adoption of electric vehicles. And for the first time in a generation, we may be headed in the wrong direction.
If you’ve been following my coverage, you know that Southern California’s sunny climate and mountains work together to form and trap smog in the region. And the main source of smog-forming pollution is the same today as it was decades ago: gas-guzzling cars and trucks.
State regulators have made great strides in the past few decades in controlling tailpipe pollution. For example, California was the first state to adopt engine emissions standards and mandate the use of catalytic converters, a regulation that was later adopted nationwide. However, Southern California has not yet met federal air quality standards for smog.
And now, electric and hybrid vehicles are facing significant headwinds due to recent policy changes by the Trump administration.
Since President Trump returned to the Oval Office, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a successful campaign that included a landmark rule that would require automakers to make 35% of the new cars they supply to California car dealerships starting next year either zero-emissions or plug-in hybrids.
Separately, President Trump’s budget plan ends federal incentives that make zero-emission vehicles more cost-competitive with gasoline-powered vehicles at the end of September. As I recently wrote , EVs and other clean vehicles have arrived in California as consumers scramble to take advantage of expiring contracts at dealerships.
But now, without these two key policy levers to accelerate EV adoption, the industry is at a tipping point.
According to , new EVs cost an average of about $8,000 more than gasoline-powered cars.
The total cost of ownership of an EV can be lower than that of a gasoline-powered vehicle due to lower fuel and maintenance costs. But the question is: Will Americans accept higher upfront prices in exchange for lower costs and less pollution down the road?
The auto industry doesn’t run on pennies. Lines of cars are designed, manufactured, and launched years in advance. But last year, amid a flurry of President Trump’s policy decisions, auto companies announced a number of moves that signaled a withdrawal from some zero-emission vehicles.
- Acura has announced the electric ZDX, which just released one model year.
- Ford’s upcoming all-electric three-row SUV program.
- General Motors’ Bright Drop Van, an electric delivery van.
- Ram is moving from releasing an all-electric pickup truck to a plug-in hybrid model.
- Stellantis has a hydrogen fuel cell program for commercial vans.
- Volkswagen releases ID.7 sedan in North America.
Joel Levin, executive director of Plug in America, a nonprofit organization that organizes events promoting EV adoption, said it would be a shame to lose new or upcoming zero-emission models. However, most of these are nascent models and do not account for a large share of sales, he added.
“I think people are being more selective about what they bring to market and focusing on vehicles that they feel actually have legs,” Levin said. “So this is a loss. I’m sorry about that. But I don’t think it’s an existential threat to the market.”
Over the past decade, Levin has seen the domestic market share of EVs and plug-in hybrids in total car sales grow from a few percentage points in 2015 to about 10% by 2024. In California, the number was even higher: 25%.
Levin said this is largely due to advances in battery technology, which have allowed for significantly longer range. However, EVs also have technological advantages over gasoline cars.
“Ford is promoting how you can use your pickup truck as a backup power source for your home in the event of a power outage,” Levin said. “Or if you’re a contractor or rancher and need to use your power tools away from home, you can just plug them into your truck. If you’re camping, you can set up an electric kitchen, watch movies, and charge your equipment.”
These features may help win the hearts of some drivers. But experts say government regulation is needed to meet California’s air quality and climate goals.
California is suing the federal government and the Trump administration for illegally subverting the state’s vehicle emissions standards. The state Air Resources Board has also proposed several ideas to boost EV sales, including offering EV and hybrid drivers free access to toll roads.
However, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently reneged on his promise to reinstate the state’s rebate program for EV buyers, which he had promised to do if President Trump eliminated federal incentives, eliminating one of the most powerful tools at his disposal to promote a cleaner fleet in California.
Dan Sperling, a former CARB board member and professor at the University of California, Davis, said the state could consider a “febate” program that would charge a fee on the sale of the most polluting vehicles and use that fee to fund rebates on EV and hybrid purchases.
Meanwhile, while consumer sentiment and government policy are fluctuating in the United States, international demand continues to expand. And if U.S. automakers want to remain globally competitive, they will need to continue investing in EVs. Sperling, who answered my call during a trip to Paris, said he had seen Chinese-made EVs around town.
“In China, 50% of all vehicles sold are electric vehicles,” Sperling said. “More electric vehicles are sold in China than there are total cars sold in the United States.”
“The auto industry is an international industry, so we can’t just give up on electric cars because that would mean giving up on the rest of the world.”
This week’s aviation news
Ten years after the incident, my colleague Haley Smith shared with residents her memories of the dangerous event, which released approximately 120,000 tons of methane and other toxic chemicals near Porter Ranch. Despite persistent environmental concerns, regulators have voted to keep gas storage facilities online, citing concerns about energy demand.
A judge has ordered the Watts recycling facility to pay $2 million in restitution and fines after the company and its owner pleaded no contest to illegally dumping hazardous waste that contaminated a nearby high school.
According to InsideClimate News reporter Keerti Gopal, environmental groups recently sued the Trump administration to lift regulations on .
LAist’s AirTalk host Larry Mantle hosted a great conversation about how Los Angeles became . He and Chip Jacobs, author of “Smogtown: A History of Los Angeles’ Lung-Burning Pollution,” detailed the area’s first exposure to toxic fog in the 1940s and the lasting legacy of pollution in Southern California.
Associated Press reporters Sheikh Salik and Sibi Aras reported that Indian authorities are working on ways to combat air pollution in New Delhi. The controversial approach involves using aircraft to spray chemicals into clouds above cities in the hopes of triggering rain that will suppress smog.
Another climate news…
According to the Washington Post, Hurricane Melissa was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, hitting Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba. There is no doubt that the spread of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels has contributed to historically powerful storms. Melissa could be a harbinger of things to come, as a warmer atmosphere could lead to more moisture and more intense storms.
To make matters worse, Bloomberg reporters Leslie Kaufman and Fabiano Maisonnave report that rich countries are giving less to poorer countries, according to the United Nations Environment Program. As climate risks increase in many of these countries, funding to adapt to climate change is decreasing.
This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. . Listen to the Boiling Point Podcast .
For more air quality and climate news, follow Tony Briscoe at @_tonybriscoe on X.
