Let Americans Choose Their Cars - Not The Government
Let Americans Choose Their Cars - Not The Government
,
There’s a lot of crowing in certain quarters about 
, for instance, claims vindication for his prediction in February 2023 that electric vehicles would not “sweep the country and become the dominant form of transportation.”
The reasoning behind his forecast: “It is always wise to bet against central planning of the economy.” In this case, central planning amounted to state CO2 emissions goals, CAFE mileage requirements and federal and state tax subsidies. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act ended the 
to roll back CAFE standards “to levels at which combustion vehicles can comply.”
Like Menton, I don’t like central planning. Nor do I support mileage standards or subsidies. Americans have proven in the past that the best route to prosperity and health is free competition without government meddling. Unfortunately, that is not what we have anymore.
Our own government is denying Americans the opportunity to buy the cars of their choice by imposing huge tariffs on low-priced electric vehicles, which are pouring into the rest of the world.
EV sales in the U.S. are languishing for many reasons, including a lack of charging stations, but the biggest problem is cost. Our EVs are absurdly expensive. Competition from China, India and perhaps even Mexico and would help bring down prices – and make U.S. EV makers more efficient.
In the rest of the world EV sales are booming, 
, global sales were just 3 million.
One of the biggest changes is the advent of inexpensive Chinese-built EVs, which carry a special 100% U.S. tariff, https://www.utilitydive.com/news/joe-biden-china-tariff-hikes-ev-battery-semiconductor-final/727014/#:~:text=from%20your%20inbox.-,Biden%20finalizes%20China%20tariff%20hikes%2C%20including%20for%20EVs%2C%20batteries%20and,Kate%20Magill%20Lead%20Editor
62% of the world’s EVs and 71% of global EV batteries.
The European Union also has high tariffs on Chinese EVs (43%), but the UK does not. As a result, the British are rushing to buy electrics like those 
d with a little less than 10% in the U.S.
BYD is building EVs 
that will debut next year and cost $4,400 to $7,400 U.S. dollars.
Electric cars and trucks have far fewer moving parts than vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, and they are 
.
, that is, maximum power from the starting line, so even a large vehicles like GM’s Hummer EV can go from zero to 60 in just three seconds. They are fun to drive.
Nations concerned about climate change have been subsidizing EVs, but the economics of have changed, and subsidies are no longer necessary to get people to buy electric. We see the same phenomenon in electricity generation at utility plants. Because of technological innovation, solar and wind, with battery back-up,
way to add power to the grid – without subsidies. This is not about climate-change ideology.
My own conclusion is that, because of economics and the driving pleasure they provide, EVs are the future. But I could be wrong. To find out, let’s drop the subsidies and the tariffs and leave the choice of cars and trucks to consumers themselves.
James K. Glassman served as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the George W. Bush Administration. He was also formerly a fellow in ecnoomics and technology at the American Enterprise Institute. Long ago, he was the car columnist for The Washingtonian magazine.Â
Sat, 12/27/2025 - 19:50
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