Biden may cave to pressures from automakers and Trump on EV ambitions
US President Joe Biden, whose administration has put electric vehicles front and center of an ambitious policy to dramatically curb emissions, may walk back his proposal on yearly EV requirements through 2030 due to political pressures and pushback from automakers and the UAW.
Both automakers and United Auto Workers have urged the government to slow down the EV ramp-up, saying the technology is too expensive for the mainstream US consumer and that the country needs more time to adapt and develop charging infrastructure.
In January, the UAW said it would endorse Biden for his pro-labor stance – but it is worried too that EVs require fewer workers to build than ICE vehicles and that EV plants are being built in states with few unions, the New York Times writes.
In the other corner, there is the looming political threat that is Republican Donald Trump, who claims that EVs “don’t work” and that Biden’s plan threatens jobs and is “lunacy,” and that he would slash the plan immediately upon his return to the White House, the New York Times reports.
Last spring, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a strict limit on tailpipe emissions, putting pressure on automakers to sell more and more EVs to comply. The proposed regulations require 67% of new cars and light-duty trucks to be all-electric by 2030, up from 7.6% in 2023.
This is still the goal, but sources have told Reuters that administration officials are tweaking the plan, effectively weakening it to slow the pace of the EV requirements so that it’d be more gradual through 2030, but then it would sharply rise again after that.
Of course, this would come at a huge cost to the climate, as we’re facing one of the hottest years in recorded history.
Still, the UAW strongly backs a revised requirement that slows EV targets, arguing that the requirements need to increase “more gradually” and occur over a “greater period of time,” Reuters reports.
Last year, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI), a trade group for GM, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, and Volkswagen, to name a few, had called the original EPA proposal “neither reasonable nor achievable.”
Last year, EVs accounted for about 8% of sales in the US, according to Reuters. Still, the government says that EV sales have quadrupled in the US since Biden took office, with the number of publicly available charging ports rising by nearly 70%. Today, more than 4 million EVs are on US roadways.
Still, not everyone is on board. “Give the market and supply chains a chance to catch up, maintain a customer’s ability to choose, let more public charging come online, let the industrial credits and Inflation Reduction Act do their thing and impact the industrial shift,” AAI CEO John Bozzella told reporters on Sunday.
The AAI met with the White House and the EPA last week to talk about revising the proposal, while Tesla officials had their own meeting with the White House to discuss earlier this month.
Reuters also reported that automakers are also pushing back on an EPA proposal to cut particulate matter from ICE vehicles because they argue it would require gasoline particulate filters on every ICE vehicle. They also object to the EPA plan to cut back on the use of “enrichment,” a strategy to boost performance and curb engine damage from exhaust gases. Automakers say that they would be unable to use some engines in this case.
Automakers also don’t like the Energy Department’s proposal to revise how it tallies the petroleum-equivalent fuel economy rating, or CAFE requirements, for EVs, stressing that it bumps up fines for not complying.
Biden now has a final draft of the proposal from the Energy Department, and the Transportation Department’s separate proposal to boost CAFE requirements is expected later this spring.
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A new Civic is in the works that’s bringing much more than just a new look to Honda’s best-selling vehicle. Here’s our first look at the next-gen Honda Civic.
Honda previews next-gen Civic with new hybrid system
During an event held for the media on Wednesday, Honda offered a look at some of the advanced new tech it plans to roll out over the next few years.
Although it just launched the current Civic Hybrid last year, Honda is already working on its replacement. Honda didn’t confirm or deny that the Civic was under the camouflage, but it was pretty evident.
The new Civic will ride on Honda’s next-gen hybrid (HEV) platform, designed for mid-size vehicles. Honda’s new hybrid system is nearly 200 lbs (90 kg) lighter and more flexible, which it said provides “excellent fuel economy” while also improving the driving experience.
According to Car and Driver, which drove the new Civic, the interior is also getting redesigned. Honda covered most of it, but you could still see what appeared to be a larger, at least 15″ infotainment screen at the center.
Honda is keeping most powertrain details a secret for now, but the new Civic appears to have an electrified drive unit similar to those found in the Accord and CR-V.
The company said the direct-drive motor and generator motor are smaller, more efficient, and free from rare-earth materials. Honda also said the battery, located under the rear seat, is all-new. It will be used for upcoming compact and mid-size vehicles, which Honda said will help reduce costs.
As for how it drives, Car and Driver said the new Honda Civic was quick off the line thanks to its direct-drive setup. However, the test track was too smooth to really judge the ride quality.
Like the new Honda Prelude, the Civic will feature S+ Shift, which simulates gear-shifting via paddles on the steering wheel.
The prototype had exhaust pipes, but they likely won’t make it to the production model. Honda plans to launch several next-gen hybrids on the new HEV platform, starting from 2027. The next-gen Honda Accord may even arrive before the Civic, debuting on the hybrid system.
Honda said it’s also developing a next-gen platform for large-size HEVs to meet the growing demand in North America.
Using a next-gen V6 engine with extended fuel-efficient range, Honda said it aims to improve fuel efficiency by 30% compared to its current ICE vehicles. Honda’s larger HEVs will likely go on sale closer to 2028.
Honda also showcased the Super-ONE Prototype during the event, its compact EV set to launch in Japan in 2026, followed by the UK and other global markets.
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Zero Motorcycles turned heads in Milan at EICMA 2025 with the unveiling of its new LS1 electric scooter, a sleek and practical 60 mph (100 km/h) commuter built for European city streets. With its swappable batteries, off-board charging, and smart safety tech like ABS and traction control, the LS1 is clearly a strong contender in the urban EV space. It also marks a major shift for Zero, expanding beyond full-size electric motorcycles into a more accessible, everyday format.
But will it come to the US market?
At the show I had the chance to speak with James Callahan of Zero, and he confirmed that the LS1 is not coming to the US market, at least not in its current form or in the near future. “The scooter market in the US is still very small,” Callahan explained, “so for now, we’re focused on Europe, where the demand is much higher.”
And while interest from American riders may exist, there’s another hurdle: the LS1 isn’t homologated for the US, meaning it doesn’t meet certain regulatory standards like the NHTSA’s lighting requirements. Its slick continuous LED turn signal bar would need to be redesigned entirely, among other tweaks to the design.
The LS1 comes equipped with two removable batteries that live in the floorboard and can be charged indoors using an 800W charger – or even faster with a 1,500W upgrade. A third battery can be added under the seat for extended range, while that same underseat storage area also hides a cavity large enough for a helmet or groceries.
Add in a low seat height, a short wheelbase, and user-friendly features, and you’ve got a solid commuter platform. But it’s a platform that we’re not likely to see in the US for a long time.
So while the LS1 represents an exciting new chapter for Zero in Europe, fitting with the company’s recent move out of California and into the Netherlands, don’t expect to see it zipping down US streets anytime soon.
Though it’s not all bad news for our American readers. There’s a spark of hope that Zero’s more affordable off-road electric motorcycles launched in the US market this year could be getting street-legal homologation, though not immediately. More on that soon…
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Environment
Toyota’s selling cars faster than it can build them, saying it can ‘barely cover the demand’
Toyota is selling cars faster than it can build them. With strong demand for hybrids, the company says it can “barely cover the demand.”
Toyota’s hybrids fuel sales growth in 2025
After reporting its fiscal second-quarter earnings on Wednesday, Toyota raised its sales and earnings forecast for the year.
In the first half of the fiscal year, the company sold a record 5.27 million vehicles, up 105% compared to the same period in 2024. Those numbers include its luxury Lexus brand.
Toyota said “strong demand from customers around the world” led to higher sales, particularly in Japan and North America. Hybrid vehicles primarily drove growth, with higher demand in competitive markets such as North America and China.
The Japanese automaker sold 2.27 million hybrids (HEVs) in the first six months of the fiscal year 2026. Including battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), Toyota’s total “electrified” vehicles accounted for 47% of its total sales.
Toyota said the new RAV4, its best-selling vehicle globally, is carrying the growth as the first to adopt its software-defined platform, Arene.
Like most automakers, Toyota took a hit from the US auto tariffs. The company expects the 15% tariff will cost an extra 1.45 trillion yen ($9.4 billion) in the fiscal year.
Toyota expects higher sales, and cost-cutting measures will lessen the blow. It raised operating profit guidance for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, to 3.4 trillion yen ($22 billion). That’s up from its previous guidance of 3.2 trillion yen ($20.8 billion), but still a 28% decrease compared to the previous fiscal year.
“In terms of sales, we expect a very healthy situation going forward,” Toyota’s CFO, Kenta Kon, said during a news conference with reporters on Wednesday (via Automotive News).
According to Kon, Toyota is still seeing “strong demand,” so much so that “we can barely cover the demand,” he added.
Electrek’s Take
Although hybrids are carrying the growth, Toyota’s BEV sales are still lagging. In the US, Toyota sold just 61 bZ electric SUVs in September. Through the first nine months of the year, Toyota sold just 12,264 bZs, down from 13,577 in the same period last year.
With the 2026 BZ upgrade rolling out and new EVs arriving soon, including the C-HR and bZ Woodland, Toyota’s BEV sales are expected to gain momentum over the next few months finally.
At the Japan Mobility Show, the company revealed plans for five unique brands under the Toyota Group, which it says will provide a diverse range of vehicles designed for every buyer.
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