Are we still convinced that electric vehicles are the best way forward?

[teamzr1]

The EPA visited schools in Winthrop, Maine, late last month as part of an investigation into electric buses supplied to the schools through federal grants paid for by American tax dollars.
The probe comes after it was discovered that the buses built by a Canadian company have proven faulty, forcing kids to walk to and from school or the parents having to take time to drive them

Federal agents visited the Maine schools in late January while probing electric school buses built by the Quebec-based Lion Electric Company. Interim Superintendent Becky Foley explained the situation to the school board earlier this month, according to a report by the Kennebec Journal.

Foley said the EPA interviewed her and Josh Wheeler, the school district’s director of transportation, about four electric buses that have been plagued with problems ever since they arrived in Winthrop from Lion Electric in late 2023.
“I met with an EPA special agent last week to see if there was any fraud committed by Lion,” she told the school board on February 5.
“I think whatever resolution may occur will take some time, and I will keep the board posted.”

Lion Electric, headquartered in Saint-Jérôme, Canada, has recently filed for credit protection and was the first company to provide Maine with electric buses through a federal program seeking to replace gasoline-powered buses with EVs, the Journal reports.

But the Quebec-based company is no longer part of Maine’s program to provide electric buses to school districts in the state after it was discovered that the only buses that consistently experienced problems had all come from Lion Electric.
Additionally, Maine schools began reporting problems with their EV buses from day one.

In a letter sent to the EPA last month, Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin asked how she should advise the schools in her state with Lion Electric buses to proceed.
“In more than half of the school districts, including Winthrop, the buses remain inoperable,” Central Maine noted.

A former Lion Electric technician, meanwhile, told the outlet that the company’s buses are “more like a science project than a validated, road-legal vehicle.”
Notably, Lion Electric being under credit protection means it does not have the ability to ship the parts needed to fix its buses.
Meanwhile, the Canadian company reportedly owes Maine schools at least $57,000 toward bus rentals being used in place of its EVs that could not successfully operate.

“We are waiting for the technician to come up,” Foley said on Thursday. “Our buses are still under warranty, so we are waiting for the technician, but there are no technicians in Maine.”
“The tech would be the one to tell us what is wrong with the buses and what our buses need,” she added.

 

[teamzr1]

Aston Martin has delayed the roll-out of its first fully-electric vehicle in the latest sign that the switch from petrol and diesel to battery cars is stalling.
The British firm said its battery electric vehicle (BEV), previously set to be launched in 2026, and was now planned for the latter part of this decade

It comes as the wider industry struggles with the transition to electric amid lack of demand from motorists and tough regulations pushing carmakers to go green.
Aston Martin, said the delay was being made ‘in response to customer feedback and evolving customer dynamics’.
As a result, it will instead focus on plug-in hybrids battery-powered vehicles with a back-up petrol engine for the time being.

It is the latest delay to the electrification plans, after the company previously pushed back the launch from 2025 to 2026.
Aston Martin’s big spending customers are prepared to shell out more than £200,000 on average to get behind the wheel of the 007 cars.
But executive chairman Lawrence Stroll said last year that demand for fully-electric versions of the marque had been lower than it had expected, with many still wanting to hear the throaty roar of a powerful internal combustion engine rather than the hum of a battery.

It suggests there is still no sign of recovery after production shrank by 14 percent in 2024.
The decline at the start of this year was partly due to continued disruption caused by the switch to new electric models, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

UK carmakers are also under pressure to meet government environmental targets.
The targets mean that an increasing proportion of vehicles they sell in the UK must be electric, but some firms have struggled to comply.
The rules were blamed by the industry when Vauxhall last year announced the closure of its Luton plant, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk.

 

[Roscobbc]

And just last night the TV news was reporting a government announcement that 'project zero' was still going to happen, with all cars being zero emission etc etc etc........TBH just like the heat pump lies that are being foisted on the population (and just like all the TV adverts) I just don't listen to the rhetoric any more, knowing it to be a total load of 'spherical objects'. In fact I wonder if many of the goverment members themselves believe the 'speil' they are putting out and expecting us to believe.
As a footnote I coul almost feel sorry for automakers being put in a position of being forced to manufacture vehicles that few 'thinking' people really want..........but I then think back to the 'dieselgate' scandal and how so many manufacturers were effectively 'legging us over' re. diesel emissions.........

 

[Chuffer]

And just last night the TV news was reporting a government announcement that 'project zero' was still going to happen, with all cars being zero emission etc etc etc........TBH just like the heat pump lies that are being foisted on the population (and just like all the TV adverts) I just don't listen to the rhetoric any more, knowing it to be a total load of 'spherical objects'. In fact I wonder if many of the goverment members themselves believe the 'speil' they are putting out and expecting us to believe.
As a footnote I coul almost feel sorry for automakers being put in a position of being forced to manufacture vehicles that few 'thinking' people really want..........but I then think back to the 'dieselgate' scandal and how so many manufacturers were effectively 'legging us over' re. diesel emissions.........

It has also been announced that some `green energy` projects will be scaled back in favour of gas and oil production . The bubble may not have burst yet but I think it`s beginning to leak a bit . Totally agree with you Ross on the hype and mis information about heat pumps for homes and of course government ministers beleive their own spiel : politians are pre programmed that way in the same way that sociopaths believe their own lies and expect `thinking` people to believe them ! Sir Queer Stammer and Donald Mump should be getting on right well today !!

 

[Roscobbc]

Not saying that electric vehicles don't have a place........they certainly do for city operation. Also not 'dissing' heat pumps - its just that the only people really who can logically afford to install them are the people typically wealthy enough not to need to.....and able to easily pay 'elevated' fossil fuel costs without even thinking about it.
Scandanavian countries have been building seriously insulated houses for years using ground sourced heat pumps (not air sourced) - extremely expensive to install, and you need sufficient land space for bore holes...........

 

[Chuffer]

Designing houses from the ground up to function effectively and efficiently with heat pumps is one thing , retro fitting is an entirely different matter . Also let`s not forget how much electricity air source heat pumps consume .

 

[teamzr1]

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc would grant carmakers a three-year window in which to hit carbon dioxide emissions targets that were originally set for this year.
The targeted amendment to give the auto sector flexibility under the 2025 emissions rules will be proposed later this month, according to von der Leyen. In effect, the changes will mean that carmakers can miss the target this year as long as they outperform in the next two.

Shares of European automakers including Volkswagen AG, Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Renault SA jumped following von der Leyen’s remarks, sending the Stoxx 600 Automobiles & Parts Index up almost 3% in intraday trading.
“Instead of the annual compliance, companies will get three years on the principle of banking and borrowing,” she said Monday in a press briefing. “The targets will stay the same, but it means more breathing space for industry and more clarity, without changing the agreed targets.”

Europe’s carmakers have pushed to change the 2025 goal after an electric vehicle sales slump last year, which made it more difficult to hit the target and may have entailed billions of euros of fines.
They could have circumvented a portion of those penalties by pooling sales with carmakers further along the transition, but concerns were raised that it would unduly benefit the likes of Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. and Chinese manufacturers.

While the move will provide some respite Volkswagen AG had warned that it was on the hook for a €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) hit due to the rules other companies like Volvo Car AB have called on the commission to stick to its goals to help provide regulatory certainty for those who have already invested heavily in new technology.

Less than two hours before von der Leyen’s comments, Volvo Cars said adjustments to the rules may delay the shift to electric vehicles.
Set years ago, the EU standards gave the industry plenty of time to prepare and several mechanisms to comply, Volvo Chief Executive Officer Jim Rowan said in an emailed statement.
Volvo “has made the heavy investments needed to be ready for 2025,” Rowan said.
“Companies like ours should not be disadvantaged by any last-minute changes to legislation.”

Volvo was among the automakers poised to benefit from over-complying with the EU’s regulation. Analysts at UBS Group AG have said they expect the company to be paid as much as €300 million by peers wanting to pool their fleet with the manufacturer. It’s not fully clear what von der Leyen’s extension means for pooling.

Environmental groups also criticized the additional flexibility, saying that it risked further undermining the competitiveness of European carmakers during the transition. The advocacy group Transport & Environment described the change as “an unprecedented gift to Europe’s car industry in the middle of a compliance year.”

“Weakening the EU clean car rules rewards laggards and does little for Europe’s car industry except to leave it further behind China,” William Todts, T&E’s executive director, said in an emailed statement. “The EU risks creating very damaging uncertainty about the electric vehicle transition in Europe.”
The proposed amendment will need to be signed off by member states and the European Parliament.

The commission is set to publish on Wednesday its action plan to help Europe’s embattled car industry, with the relief on the 2025 targets to be supplemented with longer-term measures, like encouraging the corporate car sector to incentivize the purchase of EVs. Von der Leyen announced that the EU would set up an industry alliance to promote technological advances, particularly in autonomous driving.

She also said that the bloc would explore direct EU support for its battery makers, including gradually introducing European content requirements for batteries.

 

[teamzr1]

In yet another stunning example of government waste, the Biden administration’s $3 billion scheme to convert the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) fleet to electric vehicles (EVs) has delivered nothing but empty promises, skyrocketing costs, and a mere 93 vehicles out of the planned 50,000.

Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Representative Michael Cloud (R-Texas) are leading the charge against reckless taxpayer-funded disaster.
They introduced the Return to Sender Act, a bill aimed at clawing back the unspent billions that were funneled into the failed USPS EV initiative under Biden’s so-called Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

“Biden’s $3 billion EV fleet for USPS is lost in the mail! Just 93 of 50,000 vehicles have been delivered.
I am canceling the order and returning the unspent money to sender: the taxpayers!” Ernst wrote on X.

The USPS originally placed its 50,000-vehicle order three years ago, but thanks to bureaucratic mismanagement and Biden’s radical green agenda, barely 0.2% of those vehicles have made it to the streets.
Meanwhile, the cost of production continues to balloon, and taxpayers are footing the bill for a non-existent fleet.

“The Biden administration’s so-called Inflation Reduction Act funneled billions into a failed USPS EV project that has delivered nothing but delays, defective trucks, and skyrocketing costs,” said Cloud.
“Three years later, taxpayers are still waiting while the Postal Service refuses to provide basic transparency on where the money went.
The Return to Sender Act takes back the $3 billion in taxpayer money that has been wasted in this project.”

The Return to Sender Act aims to repeal and rescind any remaining, unobligated funds from the Inflation Reduction Act’s USPS EV provisions. The bill cancels this colossal waste of taxpayer money before even more cash is flushed down the drain.
The legislation targets sections 70002 and 70003 of the IRA, ensuring that billions in misused climate funds are reallocated to the American people instead of being used to prop up another one of Biden’s green boondoggles.

According to the press release, “Because of its ballooning cost and delays, the USPS EV project was featured as one of the worst government boondoggles when Ernst introduced her Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act that will require the disclosure of any government project that is $1 billion over budget or five years behind schedule.”

 

[teamzr1]

Bye, Bye government mandated EVs

(EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin went over his recent historic launch of the largest deregulatory effort in U.S. history and talked about the EPA’s sweeping deregulations to “save the coal industry” and “bring down the cost of living.”
After announcing 31 deregulations on Wednesday, including the termination of the Biden administration’s “Environmental Justice and DEI arms of the agency (EJ/DEI),” Zeldin told Boyle, “Undoubtedly, we’re going to be able to create jobs, including inside the American auto sector.”

“We will bring down the cost of living. It’s going to be easier to heat your home, to purchase a vehicle, to operate a business,” the former New York congressman said, touting President Donald Trump’s economic plan.

“A lot of Americans struggling to make ends meet want common sense back into the federal government, and we’re going to do our part at the EPA,” Zeldin continued. “So that’s why we made this announcement. It’s a lot of regulatory actions impacting the energy space. We want to make it easier for people to be able to access choice.”

In its announcement, the EPA stated that the deregulatory actions will “roll back trillions in regulatory costs and hidden ‘taxes'” on American families.
One of the larger commitments made by the agency was to clear the hundreds of backlogged cases having to do with clean air, saying the Biden administration focused on “ideological pursuits” rather than the agency’s “core mission.”

Zeldin also told Boyle that the EPA is “eliminating” the Biden administration’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate.

“President Trump talks about clean, beautiful coal, and what we’re doing on Wednesday is going to save the coal industry,” he stated.
“I’ve been told that we’re going after the holy grail of the climate change religion, and I would just say this: that we can protect the environment and grow the economy. It’s not a binary choice,” he explained. “We don’t have to just choose one. The Trump administration chooses both.”

 

[Roscobbc]

I wonder who Trump imagines will want to work in the coal, auto and other 'lost' industries? - given the likely salary levels Americans will reasonably expect for manual work I further wonder how US car makers will manage to be competitive in their own market if paying the salary levels the workers will find accepable?
The American public with a history of initially purchasing European and Japanesed imported cars......and laterly buying the brands of car perhaps assembled or fully manufactured in USA based assembly plants.......how will the buying public face-up to buying cars perhaps designed and built by historic American brands..... yet not being able to source the foreign brands they really want and have been purchasing for the last 40 or 50 years?
It'll be interesting to see how it all works.

 

[teamzr1]

Free train to taxpayers money has left the station

Over the past few years, electric vehicle manufacturing facilities producing lithium batteries, car parts and critical minerals sprang up all over the United States. Drawing on cash and tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act (Taxpayers money), these factories promised to provide jobs and to set the nation on a path to making homegrown EVs.

But even before President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on imports, many of those projects were being canceled, leaving thousands of jobs and the shift to clean energy in doubt.

According to data from Atlas Public Policy, a policy research group, more projects were canceled in the first quarter of 2025 than in the previous two years combined.
Those cancellations include a $1 billion factory in Georgia that would have made thermal barriers for batteries and a $1.2 billion lithium-ion battery factory in Arizona.

“It’s hard at the moment to be a manufacturer in the U.S. given uncertainties on tariffs, tax credits and regulations,” said Tom Taylor, senior policy analyst at Atlas Public Policy. Hundreds of millions of dollars in additional investments appear to be stalled, he added, but haven’t been formally canceled yet.
“Nothing is more important to business than market clarity,” said Bob Keefe, executive director of E2, a clean energy advocacy group. “It’s about as clear as a blizzard at midnight.”

The 2022 climate law that Democrats passed was designed to reward automakers for building cars and parts in the United States. Vehicles qualified for a $7,500 tax credit based on their American-made parts and minerals, and companies could get additional cash if they manufactured batteries domestically.

But many of those benefits could be repealed in a new Republican-led tax bill. The Trump administration has also moved to reverse the Biden administration’s rules on car tailpipe pollution. Just those changes, according to a recent report from Princeton University, could cut EV sales in 2030 by 40 percent.

In response, companies that had invested in manufacturing American EV parts are now pulling back and canceling projects. In an earnings call in February, Aspen Aerogels, the company behind the $1 billion factory in Georgia, announced that it was canceling the facility and shifting manufacturing loan existing U.S. factory and to Mexico and China.

“China is at 50 percent EV penetration already,” Ricardo C. Rodriguez, the chief financial officer and treasurer of Aspen Aerogels, said on the call, saying the shift to China was a “no-brainer.” “In North America and Europe, we continue to dabble in this 10 percent to 15 percent level. So, you do start wondering, right, is that progress?”
Aspen Aerogels declined to comment further.

“It’s working-class people in places like Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan and Arizona that have seen some of these projects get canceled,” Keefe said. “And I can tell you who’s benefiting China and other countries that are doubling down.”
Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at the Heritage Foundation, praised Trump’s move to roll back EV regulations. Despite generous federal incentives, she said, many Americans were not buying electric vehicles.

“Costly, mandated EVs make poor people poorer and less safe,” Furchtgott-Roth said.
Taylor Rogers, the White House assistant press secretary, said in an email that the administration’s approach would benefit Americans.
“The President’s brilliant economic agenda is an all-encompassing plan to revive our economy by unleashing American energy, implementing tariffs to level the playing field, and bringing billions of dollars in historic investments to America’s manufacturing sector,” Rogers said.

Some of the companies pulling back also had been seeking loans from the federal government loans that, since the Trump administration, have been paused or put on hold. Battery Non-American maker KORE Power received conditional approval in 2023 for an $850 million loan to build a factory in Arizona. But earlier this year, the company said it had abandoned that plan and would instead retrofit an existing factory.

A company spokesperson told The Post at the time that KORE Power decided to change its plans before Trump took office.
Other projects were closed by EV makers facing tough headwinds and scandal. Nikola Motors and Canoo, both EV start-ups, have filed for bankruptcy in recent months.

Before the closures, the United States was on track for producing almost all the batteries needed for the country’s electric cars and trucks by 2030, according to an analysis from research firm Rhodium Group.
“The EV outlook was already looking pretty bearish before the election,” said Trevor Houser, a partner at Rhodium Group in energy and climate. Compounded with concerns about tariffs and trade, he added, “any downside in the outlook would naturally lead to some battery cancellations.”

Even projects that are moving forward are downplaying or reducing the role of all-electric vehicles. Hyundai’s multibillion-dollar manufacturing plant in Savannah, Georgia, recently announced a switch from making only EVs to also producing hybrids.
There is also a slowdown in new facilities coming online.
According to E2, January saw just $176 million in clean manufacturing projects announced, while a normal month would see around $1 billion in new investments.

“You see a lot of people watching and waiting,” said Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association. “If you don’t know if the inputs to your factory are going to dramatically increase in price, it slows things down.”
The slowdown threatens to stall American EV supply chains before they truly got off the ground. While wind and solar energy have been growing in the United States for years, clean manufacturing needed a bit more of a boost, Houser said. Without help, the sector could slip back into obscurity.
“Everyone’s looking for a silver lining,” Keefe said. “I have a hard time finding it.”

 

[teamzr1]

A General Motors Co. plant in Toledo is beefing up capacity to build transmissions for gas-powered trucks, while pulling out some equipment that had been installed recently to make drive systems for electric vehicles.

GM informed workers at the Toledo Propulsion Systems plant of the changes on Wednesday. The plant recently blew $760 million upgrade to make drive units for battery-powered trucks like the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Hummer EV.
But those new production lines never ramped up amid slower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles.

"General Motors will revise production plans at Toledo Propulsion to support additional capacity of ICE propulsion units in alignment with current market demand and manufacturing resiliency," GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly said in a statement.

The plant is expected to beef up transmission production for GM's heavy-duty truck line. Chevrolet Silverado HD sales were up more than 12% in the first quarter compared to last year, with GMC Sierra HD up 9%.

"To align with current market demand and manufacturing needs, leadership has made the decision to add capacity to support propulsion units currently built at Toledo for ICE (Internal Combustion Engines) products," said a note sent to employees on Wednesday.

It added that in the coming weeks, one of the electric drive unit production lines will start being pulled out, allowing more space to produce more transmission units "that power our truck portfolio." The plant also makes 8-speeds for other GM vehicles, including trucks and SUVs.

"It's an acknowledgment of market conditions, and what customer demand is, and right now it's still with ICE," said Tony Totty, president of United Auto Workers Local 14 that represents workers at the plant. "It's our trucks and SUVs, which are very popular."

Totty said it is "huge" news for his membership at the plant of about 1,300. He said it was too soon to say how the additional work would impact staffing levels. Totty said the additional work isn't tied to the new 25% auto tariffs ordered by President Donald Trump that took effect early this month.

"It's a commitment to Toledo because our workforce is world-class," Totty said.

The union leader and many in the Toledo area had welcomed the big electric drive unit investment that was announced in 2022 as the industry moved aggressively toward EVs.
But demand hasn't turned out as strong as anticipated, at least not yet and the new truck transmission investment secures more work for now. GM did not specify how much it planned to spend.

 

[teamzr1]

In a decisive move reflecting the values of freedom and consumer choice, House lawmakers have voted to overturn California’s controversial plan to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035.

The resolution passed with a solid bipartisan majority of 246 to 164, drawing support from 35 Democrats alongside every Republican representative.
This significant vote marks a crucial step in maintaining the freedom of American consumers to choose vehicles that fit their needs and budgets, rather than being forced into the narrow confines of government mandates.

California's efforts to phase out gas-powered vehicles were based on an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waiver approved during the Biden administration.
Many critics argue that this regulation not only stifles consumer choice but also imposes a de facto national standard, influencing multiple states to adopt similar restrictive measures.
Representative John Joyce (R-PA), who sponsored the resolution, articulated the sentiments of those who value freedom in the marketplace.

"Since arriving in Washington, I have fought to protect consumer freedom and allow American families to choose the vehicle that best fits their budget and needs," Joyce stated.
The ramifications of California’s regulations could have negatively impacted auto manufacturers and consumers alike.
By eliminating such onerous restrictions, the House has sent a clear message:
Americans deserve options, not top-down regulations imposed by bureaucrats.

House Republicans also leveraged this opportunity to utilize the Congressional Review Act, a powerful tool that allows Congress to abolish rules through a simple majority vote.
In the wake of this resolution, Republicans have ramped up efforts to advocate for policies that align with President Trump’s agenda, which supports American innovation and economic growth.

However, California’s Air Resources Board is expected to challenge this decision, insisting that the authority to regulate emissions remains intact.
Despite opposition, one thing is clear: this vote represents a victory for the average American who wishes to retain the right to choose their own vehicles without governmental overreach.

As the conversation around energy and consumer choices continues, this resolution sets the stage for further debates on the future of transportation in the United States.
By rejecting this unwise ban, Congress has taken a principled stand for freedom, innovation, and the American way of life.

 

[Chuffer]

We need a bit more of that thinking in the UK ! Stop all this EV crap with no infrastructure so support it and very dubious `green credentials ` .Then stop all the bloody migrant boats landing on our shores and chuck out all the buggers already here and we might have a healthy economy and a decent National Health Service !!

 

[teamzr1]

We need a bit more of that thinking in the UK ! Stop all this EV crap with no infrastructure so support it and very dubious `green credentials ` .Then stop all the bloody migrant boats landing on our shores and chuck out all the buggers already here and we might have a healthy economy and a decent National Health Service !!

Sorry to have saw news report here in the USA few weeks back
Where the UK gets thousands of illegal aliens, here they say as high as 30 million of them here but at least now something is being done about it
The bad news is they say for UK only 37% are British born population,
English language no longer the most used and getting worse
Imagine if hitler in 1939 though of invading England by using row boats

EV will die off here quickly, but the obama buddy Barra of GM just came out this week and insists she will not back down until
GM makes no gas-engined products

 

[Chuffer]

Sorry to have saw news report here in the USA few weeks back
Where the UK gets thousands of illegal aliens, here they say as high as 30 million of them here but at least now something is being done about it
The bad news is they say for UK only 37% are British born population,
English language no longer the most used and getting worse
Imagine if hitler in 1939 though of invading England by using row boats

EV will die off here quickly, but the obama buddy Barra of GM just came out this week and insists she will not back down until
GM makes no gas-engined products

Not good for the US with illegal aliens but at least your country is a damned sight bigger than our septic isle ! Records show that the most common boys name in the UK since 2016 is Mohamed . Sez it all !!!
We have only been invaded three times throughout history until now , the Romans , the Danes / Saxons and the Normans . Now we let everybody in by leaving the back door open and costing us tax payers £ millions in the process !!

 

[teamzr1]

Dodge has announced the discontinuation of the Electric Charger Daytona R/T due to disappointing sales, highlighting a clear rejection of the electric model among traditional muscle car enthusiasts.

A spokesperson for Dodge confirmed that the base Charger R/T will not be featured in the 2026 lineup, a move reflective of broader trends in consumer preferences.
The Charger Daytona Scat Pack, however, is rumored to be staying put, appealing to those who prioritize high performance and an unmistakable American muscle car heritage.

Despite the industry push towards electrification, it seems that many consumers still hold a deep connection to gasoline-powered vehicles, as sales for the Charger Daytona R/T have fallen significantly short of expectations.
In a stark indication of the vehicle’s unsuitability in the current market, numerous listings show these electric models being sold for nearly half their original price.

This apparent disconnect has led to speculation that Dodge might be leveraging its classic muscle heritage to preserve its brand while navigating the challenging landscape of vehicle electrification.
Dodge’s commitment to performance in the Scat Pack models, which boast impressive specs including a dual-motor all-wheel drive system generating 630 horsepower, serves as a reminder that the heart of American car culture is still very much rooted in power and speed.

The introduction of a four-door option in 2026 further demonstrates the brand’s initial focus on maintaining its legacy while attempting to adapt to changing times.
What this situation underscores is a broader reluctance among consumers—especially Conservatives—to fully embrace a future predominantly ruled by electric vehicles.

Amidst federal pushes for an EV-dominated market, the evident preference for traditional combustion engines emerges as a defining characteristic of not just car buyers, but also a reflection of American values.
As the automotive industry pivots in response to regulatory pressures and consumer demands, it’s clear that the legendary muscle car is far from extinct.

During this critical transitional phase, brands like Dodge remain locked in a battle for consumer loyalty, emphasizing the very essence of freedom that fuels America's love affair with cars.

 

[teamzr1]

GM got caught on the big EV lie and now is backtacking

America's largest automaker once backed California's aggressive EV push. That support appears to be over.
GM has begun urging employees to lobby lawmakers against a ban on the sale of new gas cars in the state within a decade, something it once supported.
'We need your help!' GM wrote in an email to thousands of salaried workers, according to The Wall Street Journal.
'Emissions standards that are not aligned with market realities pose a serious threat to our business by undermining consumer choice and vehicle affordability.'
The email comes as California’s tough climate regulations face growing resistance.
For years, the state has had a federal waiver allowing it to impose stricter tailpipe rules than the national standard.
That authority led to a bold mandate: by 2035, all new cars sold in the state must be zero-emission vehicles — either battery electric or hydrogen-powered.

Eighteen other states have adopted similar rules that will ban the sale of new gas cars.
But with EV sales falling short of projections, the waiver is now under bipartisan scrutiny in Washington. GM’s lobbying is the latest signal of shifting political winds.

The company — second only to Tesla in US EV sales — has walked back its earlier commitments to an all-electric future.
GM once promised to build 400,000 electric vehicles by 2024. It ended up selling just 114,432 that year.
Still, that number represented a significant gain: a 50 percent increase in EV sales compared to 2023.

But the growth hasn’t matched regulators’ lofty projections. EVs account for about seven percent of new vehicle sales in the US.
Nationwide, EV deliveries fell five percent last month, even as overall new vehicle sales rose by double digits.
In California, where EV adoption has consistently outpaced the rest of the country, electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles still account for only about 20 percent of total sales, well short of the 35 percent benchmark required by 2026 under the state’s current rule.

'GM believes in customer choice, and we continue to focus on offering the best and broadest portfolio of vehicles on the market,' a company spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
'GM has long supported one national standard and consistency in emissions' regulations that are aligned with market realities.'
Despite its lobbying push, GM previously told DailyMail.com that it remains committed to electrification.
The automaker has spent billions outfitting its US factories with the latest battery technology.

Recently, GM announced plans to develop lithium manganese-rich (LMR) battery chemistry that’s lighter, cheaper, and less reliant on Chinese-sourced critical minerals.
Meanwhile, California's regulators have argued that their rules, which include credits and rollover sales averages, have been plenty accommodating to auto manufacturers.
But the carmakers are dealing with several crushing blows from the Trump administration that could cut against their electric efforts.
President Donald Trump has slapped all foreign assembled cars and parts with a 25 percent tariff, which has already started to increase some consumer prices.

Companies have said the tariff will cost billions. GM said it will lose between $4 billion and $5 billion in profits because of the tax policy.
Also, automakers are staring down the end of EV tax incentives for consumers as Republicans attempt to strike a tax deal.
The incentives' end could further cut against battery electric adoption and recent billion-dollar investments from major brands.

 

[teamzr1]

The Senate has voted to overturn the electric vehicle mandate in the state of California.
This is going to cause some major anger and anxiety among the climate change activist community.

The EV mandate was one of the last things Joe Biden signed before leaving office.
You may recall a last minute push by Biden’s team to advance as much climate change related legislation as they could during his final weeks in office.
The resolution to overturn the mandate passed along party lines, with one Democrat senator voting for it as well.

The Washington Free Beacon reported:

Senate Votes To Overturn California’s EV Mandate in Resounding Defeat for Climate Activists

The Senate approved a resolution Thursday that would revoke California’s federal waiver allowing it and several other Democratic-led states to mandate electric vehicle sales, dealing a blow to activists’ efforts to push green energy and fight global warming.

The resolution, introduced by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R., W.Va.) in April, passed in a bipartisan 51-44 vote Thursday morning. Just one Democrat, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.), voted in favor of the resolution alongside every Republican who voted. Five lawmakers were absent from the vote.

“The impact of California’s waiver would have been felt across the country, harming multiple sectors of our economy and costing hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process,” said Capito, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The vote is a significant loss for both California, which passed its EV mandate in 2022, and for climate activists who loudly defended the law…

Thursday’s vote is also a win for President Donald Trump and other critics of policies forcing consumers to buy EVs. On the campaign trail, Trump said the “crazed concept of ‘all Electric Cars’” would devastate auto workers and decimate Michigan’s auto industry.

CBS News reports that California is planning to sue over this:

California filing suit over U.S. Senate vote revoking state’s EV mandate and strict emission standards
California is fighting back a day after the U.S. Senate voted to put the brakes on the state’s clean vehicle policies.

Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement Thursday saying the state will file a lawsuit after senators voted to revoke California’s emission waivers that set stricter standards than federal regulations. One of the rules, the so-called “EV mandate,” would phase out gasoline-powered cars and require new vehicle sales to be zero-emission by 2035.

Shutting this down was the right thing to do.
You can’t force consumers to buy certain kinds of products in this way. The public has to want to do it.

 

[teamzr1]

Washington — The U.S. Senate passed a measure Thursday canceling California regulations that would have required a 100% transition to electric vehicles for new car and truck models in many states by 2035.
The vote on the Congressional Review Act measure passed 51-44 along mostly party lines, with all Republicans present voting in favor. Michigan Democratic U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Holly joined the GOP in supporting the measure.

"Today, I voted to prevent California and the states that follow its standard from effectively banning gas-powered cars by 2035. Michigan is the auto capital of the world, and as Michigan’s U.S. Senator, I have a special responsibility to stand up for the more than one million Michiganders whose livelihoods depend on the U.S. auto industry," she said in a statement.

Other Democrats had criticized the legislation in recent weeks less for its substance and more for Republicans' decision to hold a vote at all, overruling the Senate's nonpartisan arbiter of chamber procedures along the way.
The measure, approved with a simple majority via the CRA, next moves to President Donald Trump's desk for approval. The Republican leader is all but certain to sign it into law after repeatedly bashing "EV mandates" on the campaign trail in automotive-heavy Michigan last year.

Much of the debate over the measure Wednesday and Thursday centered around parliamentary procedures and the Senate's longstanding filibuster rules, which effectively set a 60-vote threshold for most actions to pass.

The impact on the auto industry will be immense. California has long set nation-leading standards for vehicle tailpipe emissions that force companies to consider stricter state environmental policies on top of more lax federal regulations. Now, automakers — barring a successful legal challenge to the Senate's action — will be spared from California's latest rules, its strictest yet.

Thirteen states had voluntarily adopted the rules with the goals of fighting climate change, improving air quality and pushing American automakers to build electric cars and trucks that better compete with China's surging EV prowess. Some states, however, had begun to pull back on their pledges amid lower-than-hoped-for EV sales.

The measure's passage is a blow to California's rule-setting authority and a victory for companies seeking more regulatory flexibility.

Industry reaction

The U.S. auto industry lobbied heavily to have the waiver overturned, claiming that the strict rules would represent an existential threat to automakers and dealerships. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the top automotive lobbying group in Washington, immediately celebrated the measure's passage.

"The fact is these EV sales mandates were never achievable," said John Bozzella, president and CEO of the alliance. "Automakers warned federal and state policymakers that reaching these EV sales targets would take a miracle, especially in the coming years when the mandates get exponentially tougher."

He continued: "The Senate (and the House before it) deserve enormous credit. Instead of kicking the can down the road or waiting for regulatory failure and its consequences, they voted to restore a degree of balance to U.S. vehicle emissions regulations.

"The auto industry has invested billions in electrification and has 144 electrified models on the market right now. Again, the concerns were about the mandate not the technology. You can be against the (California) EV mandates ... and believe that transportation is trending toward a range of electrified products like battery electric vehicles, hybrids and plug-in hybrids)."

Two top oil and gas lobbying groups, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute, also applauded the Senate's action.

“Today, the United States Senate delivered a victory for American consumers, manufacturers, and U.S. energy security by voting to overturn the prior administration’s EPA rule authorizing California’s gas car ban and preventing its spread across our country,” said the group’s presidents, Chet Thompson and Mike Sommers, in a joint statement.

They continued: “Congress has made clear that California regulators have no authority to dictate what cars Americans can buy or to ban internal combustion engine vehicles. President Trump can now deliver on a major part of his campaign promise to end EV mandates in the United States.”

Environmentalists, meanwhile, denounced the move on its merits and on procedure.

“Senate Republicans just voted to break the law and increase asthma, lung cancer and cardiac deaths,” said Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign. “Robbing California of its clean air protections is a fundamental betrayal of democracy. This vote is a flagrant abuse of the law to reward Big Oil and Big Auto corporations at the expense of everyday people’s health and their wallets.”

Even though Michigan is not among the states that had pledged to follow California's standards, the fate of the regulations was a question with billions of dollars at stake for the Detroit Three automakers over the next decade.

Detroit-based General Motors Co. cheered the prospect of a vote earlier in the week: “GM believes in customer choice, and we continue to focus on offering the best and broadest portfolio of vehicles on the market," spokesperson Bill Grotz said in a Tuesday statement. "GM has long supported one national standard and consistency in emissions regulations that are aligned with market realities; the CRA measure would help ensure this.”

Dearborn-based Ford Motor Co. also praised the move. “In America, the customer chooses, and we need national emissions standards that not only drive progress but also reflect market realities," said Ford spokesperson Robyn Jackson in a Tuesday statement.

"We also need to preserve tax policies that recognize the future of the global automotive industry is up for grabs, and that domestic manufacturing and home-grown innovation are how the United States will win," she added, a reference to automotive tax credits House Republicans have proposed cutting.