Automotive
EPA removal of vehicle emissions limits won’t stop the shift to electric vehicles, but will make it harder, slower and more expensive
The EPA’s move to rescind the 2009 “endangerment finding” and roll back vehicle emissions limits won’t stop the shift to electric vehicles—but it will slow adoption, raise costs, and increase climate and public health harms.
Alan Jenn, University of California, Davis
The U.S. government is in full retreat from its efforts to make vehicles more fuel-efficient, which it had been prioritizing, along with state governments, since the 1970s.
The latest move came on Feb. 12, 2026, when President Donald Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency issued a new rule rescinding the landmark “endangerment finding,” and reversing various emissions limits on cars and trucks. The 2009 finding stated that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. If the new rule stands up in court and is not overruled by Congress, it would undo a key part of the long-standing effort to limit greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.
As a scholar of how vehicle emissions contribute to climate change, I know that the science behind the endangerment finding hasn’t changed. If anything, the evidence has grown that greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet and threatening people’s health and safety. Heat waves, flooding, sea-level rise and wildfires have only worsened in the decade and a half since the EPA’s ruling.
Regulations over the years have cut emissions from power generation, leaving transportation as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
The scientific community agrees that vehicle emissions are harmful and should be regulated. The public also agrees, and has indicated strong preferences for cars that pollute less, including both more efficient gas-burning vehicles and electric-powered ones. Consumers have also been drawn to electric vehicles thanks to other benefits such as performance, operation cost and innovative technologies.
That is why I believe the EPA’s move will not stop the public and commercial transition to electric vehicles, but it will make that shift harder, slower and more expensive for everyone.
Putting carmakers in a bind
The most recent EPA rule about vehicle emissions was finalized in 2024. It set emissions limits that can realistically only be met by a large-scale shift to electric vehicles.
Over the past decade and a half, automakers have been building up their capability to produce electric vehicles to meet these fleet requirements, and a combination of regulations such as California’s zero-emission-vehicle requirements have worked together to ensure customers can get their hands on EVs. The zero-emission-vehicle rules require automakers to produce EVs for the California market, which in turn make it easier for the companies to meet their efficiency and emissions targets from the federal government. These collectively pressure automakers to provide a steady supply of electric vehicles to consumers.
The new EPA move would undo the 2024 EPA vehicle-emissions rule and other federal regulations that also limit emissions from vehicles, such as the heavy-duty vehicle emissions rule.
The possibility of a regulatory reversal puts automakers into a state of uncertainty. Legal challenges to the EPA’s shift are all but guaranteed, and the court process could take years.
For companies making decade-long investment decisions, regulatory stability matters more than short-term politics. Disrupting that stability undermines business planning, erodes investor confidence and sends conflicting signals to consumers and suppliers alike.
A slower roll
The Trump administration has taken other steps to make electric vehicles less attractive to carmakers and consumers.
The White House has already suspended key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act that provided tax credits for purchasing EVs and halted a US$5 billion investment in a nationwide network of charging stations. And Congress has retracted the federal waiver that allowed California to set its own, stricter emissions limits. In combination, these policies make it hard to buy and drive electric vehicles: Fewer, or no, financial incentives for consumers make the purchases more expensive, and fewer charging stations make travel planning more challenging.
Overturning the EPA’s 2009 endangerment finding would remove the legal basis for regulating climate pollution from vehicles altogether.
But U.S. consumer interest in electric vehicles has been growing, and automakers have already made massive investments to produce electric vehicles and their associated components in the U.S. – such as Hyundai’s EV factory in Georgia and Volkswagen’s Battery Engineering Lab in Tennessee.
Global markets, especially in Europe and China, are also moving decisively toward electrifying large proportions of the vehicles on the road. This move is helped in no small part due to aggressive regulation by their respective governments. The results speak for themselves: Sales of EVs in both the European Union and China have been growing rapidly.
But the pace of change matters. A slower rollout of clean vehicles means more cumulative emissions, more climate damage and more harm to public health.
The EPA’s move seeks to slow the shift to electric vehicles, removing incentives and raising costs – even though the market has shown that cleaner vehicles are viable, the public has shown interest, and the science has never been clearer. But even such a major policy change can’t stop the momentum of those trends.
This is an updated version of an article originally published Aug. 5, 2025.
Alan Jenn, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Consumer Corner
Driving in Wet Summer Conditions: The Impact of Worn Tires on Stopping Distance
Wet Summer Conditions: As drivers prepare for summer road trips, navigating seasonal weather with worn tires can often be an overlooked safety concern.
Driving in Wet Summer Conditions: The Impact of Worn Tires on Stopping Distance
(Feature Impact) As drivers prepare for summer road trips, navigating seasonal weather with worn tires can often be an overlooked safety concern. For those living in regions that experience seasonal storms and heavy rainfall, ensuring their vehicle’s tires are properly maintained can mean the difference between stopping safely or being involved in an accident.
As tread depth decreases, tires’ ability to maintain grip on wet pavement diminishes, increasing both stopping distances and the likelihood of losing control. In fact, on roads with light rain is where the Federal Highway Administration reports 77% of weather-related crashes occur.
New testing revealed worn tires (approximately 4/32-inch tread depth) required 30-45% more stopping distance – equating to 44-67 additional feet, depending on the tire model – to bring an average car or sedan to a full stop when braking. During moderate and heavy rainfall, vehicles equipped with worn tires required more than 140 additional feet to stop – nearly half the length of a football field. This data comes from water depth stopping-distance testing performed from 60 miles per hour at Treadwell Research Park on behalf of Discount Tire, a leading independent retailer of tires and wheels with more than 1,275 stores in 40 states.
Summer weather can be unpredictable and with the chance of sudden storms expected this time of year, drivers should take extra precautions to ensure their tires can stop safely in wet conditions.
Drivers can use tools like Treadwell, Discount Tire’s online tire recommendation tool, to compare stopping distances of popular tire models in new and worn conditions. The tool evaluates tire options based on vehicle type, driving habits and local conditions – as well as decades of data and independent testing results – to provide recommendations based on each driver’s unique needs.
Before hitting the road, consider these expert tips:
Monitor Tire Tread Depth
Tread depth plays a critical role in wet-weather traction and stopping performance. Drivers can perform a quick tread check at home using a penny. Insert the penny upside down into a tread groove; if the top of President Lincoln’s head is visible, it’s time to replace the tire. If you’re not sure, head to a local tire retailer to have them check for you.
Know the Tires’ Age
As rubber compounds age, the rubber becomes harder and more susceptible to cracking and failure. To check a tire’s age at home, look at the DOT number stamped on its sidewall. Experts typically recommend replacing tires that are 6 years old or older, depending on condition and manufacturer guidance.
Rotate Tires on Schedule
Tires should be rotated every 6,000 miles, or earlier if uneven wear develops. Routine tire rotations help promote even wear and maximize tire life.
Check Tire Pressure Regularly
Tire pressure should be checked at least once a month when tires are cool, particularly before any long road trips, because ambient temperature changes as well as the impacts and pressures of bumps and turns can affect inflation levels. Underinflated tires can contribute to poor handling, excessive wear, reduced fuel efficiency and increased stress on the tires due to overloading.
To locate a neighborhood tire retailer near you to save on tires, wheels or windshield wipers, visit DiscountTire.com.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
SOURCE:
Discount Tire
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Consumer Corner
America is falling behind in the global EV race – that’s going to cost the US auto industry
Hengrui Liu, Tufts University and Kelly Sims Gallagher, Tufts University
At the 2026 Detroit Auto Show, the spotlight quietly shifted. Electric vehicles, once framed as the inevitable future of the industry, were no longer the centerpiece. Instead, automakers emphasized hybrids, updated gasoline models and incremental efficiency improvements.
The show, held in January, reflected an industry recalibration happening in real time: Ford and General Motors had recently announced US$19.5 billion and $6 billion in EV-related write-downs, respectively, reflecting the losses they expect as they unwind or delay parts of their electric vehicle plans.
The message from Detroit was unmistakable: The United States is pulling back from a transition that much of the world is accelerating. https://www.youtube.com/embed/VPMEgNAY60o?wmode=transparent&start=0 Highlights from the Detroit Auto Show, starting with V-8 trucks, by the Detroit Free Press’ auto writer.
That retreat carries consequences far beyond showroom floors.
In China, Europe and a growing number of emerging markets, including Vietnam and Indonesia, electric vehicles now make up a higher share of new passenger vehicle sales than in the United States.
That means the U.S. pullback on EV production is not simply a climate problem – gasoline-powered vehicles are a major contributor to climate change – it is also an industrial competitiveness problem, with direct implications for the future of U.S. automakers, suppliers and autoworkers. Slower EV production and slower adoption in the U.S. can keep prices higher, delay improvements in batteries and software, and increase the risk that the next generation of automotive value creation will happen elsewhere.
Where EVs are taking over
In 2025, global EV registrations rose 20% to 20.7 million. Analysts with Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reported that China reached 12.9 million EV registrations, up 17% from the previous year; Europe recorded 4.3 million, up 33%; and the rest of the world added 1.7 million, up 48%.
By contrast, U.S. EV sales growth was essentially flat in 2025, at about 1%. U.S. automaker Tesla experienced declines in both scale and profitability – its vehicle deliveries fell 9% compared to 2024, the company’s net profit was down 46%, and CEO Elon Musk said it would put more of its focus on artificial intelligence and robotics.
Market share tells a similar story and also challenges the assumption that vehicle electrification would take time to expand from wealthy countries to emerging markets.
In 39 countries, EVs now exceed 10% of new car sales, including in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, which reached 38%, 21% and 15%, respectively, in 2025, energy analysts at Ember report.
In the U.S., EVs accounted for less than 10% of new vehicle sales, by Ember’s estimates.
https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/yDCZF/3
U.S. President Donald Trump came back into office in 2025 promising to end policies that supported EV production and sales and boost fossil fuels. But while the U.S. was curtailing federal consumer incentives, governments elsewhere largely continued a transition to electric vehicles.
Europe softened its goal for all vehicles to have zero emissions by 2035 at the urging of automakers, but its new target is still a 90% cut in automobiles’ carbon dioxide emissions by 2035.
Germany launched a program offering subsidies worth 1,500 to 6,000 euros per electric vehicle, aimed at small- and medium-income households.
In developing economies, EV policy has largely been sustained through industrial policies. In Brazil, the MOVER program offers tax credits explicitly linked to domestic EV production, research and development, and efficiency targets. South Africa is introducing a 150% investment allowance for EV and battery manufacturing, giving them a tax break starting in March 2026. Thailand has implemented subsidies and reduced excise tax tied to mandatory local production and export commitments.
In China, the EV industry has entered a phase of regulatory maturity. After a decade of subsidies and state-led investment that helped domestic firms undercut global competitors, the government’s focus is no longer on explosive growth at home.
With their domestic market saturated and competition fierce, Chinese automakers are pushing aggressively into global markets. Beijing has reinforced this shift by ending its full tax exemption for EV purchases and replacing it with a tapered 5% tax on EV buyers.
Consequences for US automakers
EV manufacturing is governed by steep learning curves and scale economies, meaning the more vehicles a company builds, the better it gets at making them faster and cheaper. Low domestic production and sales can mean higher costs for parts and weaker bargaining power for automakers in global supply chains.
The competitive landscape is already changing. In 2025, China exported 2.65 million EVs, doubling its 2024 exports, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. And BYD surpassed Tesla as the world’s largest EV maker in 2025.
https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/erFIJ/1
The U.S. risks becoming a follower in the industry it once defined.
Some people argue that American consumers simply prefer trucks and hybrids. Others point to Chinese subsidies and overcapacity as distortions that justify U.S. industry caution. These concerns deserve consideration, but they do not outweigh the fundamental fact that, globally, the EV share of auto sales continues to rise.
What can the US do?
For U.S. automakers and workers to compete in this market, the government, in our view, will have to stop treating EVs as an ideological matter and start governing it like an industrial transition.
That starts with restoring regulatory credibility, something that seems unlikely right now as the Trump administration moves to roll back vehicle emissions standards. Performance standards are the quiet engine of industrial investment. When standards are predictable and enforced, manufacturers can plan, suppliers can invest in new businesses, and workers can train for reliable demand.
Governments at state and local levels and industry can also take important steps.
Focus on affordability and equity: The federal clean-vehicle tax credit that effectively gave EV buyers a discount expired in September 2025. An alternative is targeted, point-of-sale support for lower- and middle-income buyers. By moving away from blanket credits in favor of targeted incentives – a model already used in California and Pennsylvania – governments can ensure public funds are directed toward people who are currently priced out of the EV market. Additionally, interest-rate buydowns that allow buyers to reduce their loan payments and “green loan” programs can help, typically funded through state and local governments, utility companies or federal grants.
Keep building out the charging network: A federal judge ruled on Jan. 23, 2026, that the Trump administration violated the law when it suspended a $5 billion program for expanding the nation’s EV charger network. That expansion effort can be improved by shifting the focus from the number of ports installed to the number of working chargers, as California did in 2025. Enforcing reliability and clearing bottlenecks, such as electricity connections and payment systems, could help boost the number of functioning sites.
Use fleet procurement as a stabilizer for U.S. sales: When states, cities and companies provide a predictable volume of vehicle purchases, that helps manufacturers plan future investments. For example, Amazon’s 2019 order of 100,000 Rivian electric delivery vehicles to be delivered over the following decade gave the startup automaker the boost it needed.
Treat workforce transition as core infrastructure: This means giving workers skills they can carry from job to job, helping suppliers retool instead of shutting down, and coordinating training with employers’ needs. Done right, these investments turn economic change into a source of stable jobs and broad public support. Done poorly, they risk a political backlash.
The scene at the Detroit Auto Show should be a warning, not a verdict. The global auto industry is accelerating its EV transition. The question for the United States is whether it will shape that future – and ensure the technologies and jobs of the next automotive era are in the U.S. – or import it.
Hengrui Liu, Postdoctoral Scholar in Economics and Public Policy, The Fletcher School, Tufts University and Kelly Sims Gallagher, Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy, Director of the Climate Policy Lab and Center for International Environment and Resource Policy, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Automotive
Slate Truck Update: Affordable EV Pickup Moves Closer to Production With $24,950 Price Tag
Slate Truck officially reveals a $24,950 price, improved 205-mile range, and production updates. See how Jay Leno’s test drive highlighted the customizable affordable EV pickup.
Last Updated on June 27, 2026 by Daily News Staff
The race to bring affordable electric vehicles to American drivers is heating up, and one startup continues to attract major attention: Slate Auto’s compact electric pickup truck.
Since its debut, the Slate Truck has positioned itself as a different kind of EV — one focused less on luxury technology and more on affordability, simplicity, and customization. The company recently revealed important updates, including official pricing, improved range estimates, and the opening of preorders as it moves closer to production. 
Slate Truck Officially Priced at $24,950
When Slate Auto first introduced the truck, the company gained headlines by suggesting an electric pickup could eventually cost under $20,000 after incentives.
That original target has changed, but Slate says the mission remains the same: build a practical electric vehicle at a price point accessible to more consumers.
The base Slate Truck will start at $24,950 before taxes, fees, and optional equipment. The company is also offering SUV conversion options starting around the $30,000 range.
While it is no longer a sub-$20,000 vehicle, the Slate Truck could still become one of the most affordable new EVs available in the United States.
More Range Than Originally Expected
One of the biggest technical updates is the truck’s improved estimated range.
Early versions of the Slate Truck were expected to offer around 150 miles of range. The company has now increased that estimate to approximately 205 miles using a 63-kWh LFP battery pack.
The truck is expected to feature:
- Rear-wheel-drive electric motor
- Around 181 horsepower
- Approximately 1,550-pound payload capacity
- Around 2,000-pound towing capability
- NACS charging connector for Tesla Supercharger access
Jay Leno Takes the Slate Truck for a Drive
The Slate Truck gained additional attention after appearing on Jay Leno’s Garage, where longtime automotive enthusiast Jay Leno tested a prototype version of the vehicle.
The episode gave viewers a closer look at Slate’s unusual approach: instead of building a luxury EV loaded with expensive features, the company created a simple platform that owners can customize over time.
The truck’s philosophy includes:
- Easy-to-repair design
- Replaceable body panels
- DIY-friendly customization
- Accessories that allow owners to personalize the vehicle after purchase
The concept is closer to an automotive “blank canvas” than a traditional factory-built vehicle.
Built Around Customization
Slate’s strategy is different from most automakers. Instead of offering dozens of factory trims, the company plans to sell a basic vehicle and let owners add features later.
Planned upgrades include:
- Interior improvements
- Audio systems
- Roof racks
- Exterior accessories
- Wrap options
- Pickup-to-SUV conversion kits
Slate says it plans to offer more than 175 accessories, allowing owners to build a vehicle based on their needs and budget.
Production Plans Remain on Track
Slate continues preparing for production at its Indiana manufacturing facility.
The company has raised additional funding, including a reported $650 million funding round, bringing total funding to approximately $1.4 billion. The money is intended to support factory development and production preparation.
Current plans:
- Production start: Late 2026
- Initial deliveries: Expected toward the end of 2026
- Larger production ramp: Expected in 2027
Can Slate Change the EV Market?
The Slate Truck represents a different idea about what an electric vehicle should be.
Instead of competing with premium models like the Rivian R1T or Ford F-150 Lightning, Slate is targeting drivers who want something affordable, practical, and easy to personalize.
The biggest challenge now is turning strong consumer interest into actual vehicles on the road.
With tens of thousands of reservations and growing attention from automotive media, Slate has created something rare in today’s auto industry: excitement around a vehicle designed around affordability.
The next major test will be production.
Related STM Daily News Coverage
- Electric Vehicle Innovation and Transportation Updates
- Automotive Industry News and Consumer Trends
- The Future of Transportation Technology
Further Reading
- Slate Auto Official Website
https://www.slate.auto - Jay Leno’s Garage: Slate Truck First Drive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6_9_HHLOSY - TechCrunch: Slate Auto Updates and Production Plans
- Cars.com: Slate Truck Pricing and Specs
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