Electric cars | Reason Archives (original) (raw)
Rivian Seeks Federal Loan To Restart Georgia Plant Despite $1.5 Billion in State Incentives
The state of Georgia is already funding the purchase and preparation of the land; now the company wants the feds to help out with the rest.
Joe Lancaster | 10.7.2024 3:30 PM
Most Chinese E.V. Firms Are Unprofitable. Local Governments Keep Propping Them Up Anyway.
China has dominated the market—thanks in part to a robust industrial policy.
Kevin Garcia-Galindo | 9.24.2024 3:15 PM
10 Years and $3 Billion for a New Mail Truck?
Oshkosh Defense’s USPS van is thousands of dollars more expensive than the industry standard.
Jack Nicastro | 9.13.2024 2:32 PM
Kamala Harris Is Right To Back Away From an Electric Vehicle Mandate
Whether her reversal is sincere or politically expedient, Harris is right not to try changing people's driving habits by force.
Joe Lancaster | 9.4.2024 3:15 PM
Ford Wants To Build Hybrids Instead of All-Electric Cars. The EPA Hates That.
The automaker is choosing to prioritize hybrids, which are more popular and provide a better option for many motorists. But the EPA only foresees a minor role for hybrids.
Joe Lancaster | 8.23.2024 3:10 PM
Brickbat: Electrifying
Charles Oliver | 8.19.2024 4:00 AM
VinFast Delays Production After North Carolina Seizes Property for Factory Site
North Carolina taxpayers have already spent over $96 million on the site, while state officials have seized multiple private properties.
Joe Lancaster | 8.1.2024 2:55 PM
J.D. Vance Wants To Control You With Taxes
People making the same income should be paying the same level of taxes no matter how they choose to live their lives.
Veronique de Rugy | 8.1.2024 12:01 AM
The 2024 GOP Platform Promises To 'Make America Affordable Again.' So Why Are They Embracing Fiscal Insanity?
Although former President Donald Trump's deregulatory agenda would make some positive changes, it's simply not enough.
Veronique de Rugy | 7.11.2024 12:01 AM
Biden and Trump Are Both Disastrously Wrong About Tariffs
Yes, cheap imports hurt some American companies. But protectionist trade policy harms many more Americans than it helps.
John Stossel | 7.10.2024 9:50 AM
Glenn Youngkin Withdraws Virginia From California's Electric Vehicle Mandate
Youngkin's administration says the state will adhere to federal emissions standards beginning in 2025.
Joe Lancaster | 6.5.2024 2:00 PM
Should Donald Trump Have Been Convicted?
Plus: A single-issue voter asks the editors for some voting advice in the 2024 presidential election.
Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman | 6.3.2024 5:18 PM
$7.5 Billion in Government Cash Only Built 8 E.V. Chargers in 2.5 Years
While the private sector builds hundreds of public chargers, the government spends billions of dollars for just a handful of charging stations.
Joe Lancaster | 5.30.2024 5:25 PM
American Manufacturers Need Tax and Regulatory Reform, Not Tariffs
Despite both presidential candidates touting protectionist trade policy, tariffs do little to address the underlying factors that make it difficult for U.S. manufacturers to compete in the global marketplace.
Veronique de Rugy | 5.23.2024 2:40 PM
Biden's Tariffs Are a Bad Idea
Bad for consumers, bad for American industry, bad for his administration's own environmental goals, and bad for an increasingly irrational executive branch.
Eric Boehm | 5.14.2024 3:15 PM
No One Can Make Government Work
If businesses don't serve customers well, they go out of business. Government, on the other hand, is a monopoly.
John Stossel | 5.1.2024 12:30 AM
China Is Doubling Down on Electric Vehicle Subsidies
Electric vehicles are not a bad thing, especially in heavily polluted China. But the market should drive demand, not central planners.
Joe Lancaster | 4.29.2024 3:40 PM
How the EPA's New Emissions Rule Is Likely To Backfire
While drafted with good intentions, the rule prioritizes electric vehicles that run on batteries, even as hybrids see strong sales growth.
Joe Lancaster | 3.20.2024 4:35 PM
Rivian Pauses Construction at Factory That Costs Georgia Taxpayers $1.5 Billion
The company will now build everything in its existing Illinois factory, pausing construction on the Georgia plant until "later."
Joe Lancaster | 3.8.2024 1:55 PM
Apple Abandons Plans for Driverless Electric Car, Shifts Team to AI
While a disappointment to green-tech supporters, Apple's decision reflects the growing uncertainty in the E.V. market.
Joe Lancaster | 2.28.2024 2:50 PM
When Well-Intended Environmentalism Backfires
Housing bats, buying an E.V., and planting trees sometimes end up being counterproductive.
Mike Riggs | 1.28.2024 7:00 AM
The Government Is Better at Picking Losers Than Winners
It's taxpayers who lose when politicians give gifts, grants, and loans to private companies.
Joe Lancaster | 1.25.2024 6:00 AM
Feds To Spend Hundreds of Millions of Dollars on E.V. Chargers in 'Disadvantaged Communities'
The projects include $1.4 million for a charging station in a remote Alaskan community with barely 2,000 people.
Joe Lancaster | 1.18.2024 12:30 PM
Biden Considering Higher Tariffs on E.V.s Imported from China, Raising Prices for Americans
Tariffs of 25 percent introduced under Donald Trump have been allowed to remain in place, and Biden may tack on even more to shield American firms from competition.
Joe Lancaster | 1.9.2024 2:00 PM
Watchdog Report: USPS Still Failing To Secure Facility That Was Robbed Twice in 2023
A new inspector general report indicates that officials knew that the industrial park had been targeted in the past.
Joe Lancaster | 1.4.2024 2:45 PM
In 2024, Teens Will Get Pregnant in Driverless Cars
Plus: State officials attempt to ban Donald Trump from 2024 election ballots.
Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Elizabeth Nolan Brown, and Zach Weissmueller | 1.2.2024 4:53 PM
Philadelphia Relies on Private Sector Chargers To Charge City-Owned E.V.s
Motorists complain about long lines at charging stations as civil servants queue up in city-owned electric vehicles.
Joe Lancaster | 1.2.2024 3:20 PM
G.M. To Lay Off 1,300 Michigan Workers Despite $824 Million in State Incentives
The bulk of the employees may be able to find work elsewhere within the company, but the state could still be on the hook for the promised cash.
Joe Lancaster | 12.20.2023 11:25 AM
Demonic Dollar Store
Plus: Senate sex, problematic profit, AI girlfriends, and more...
Liz Wolfe | 12.18.2023 9:30 AM
Tesla's Expensive New Cybertruck May Qualify for $7,500 in E.V. Tax Credits
According to a Treasury Department website, two of the three Cybertruck models currently offered would qualify for tax credits.
Joe Lancaster | 12.15.2023 2:15 PM
North Carolina's Bad Billion-Dollar Bet on a Struggling E.V. Company
Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast has lost 5.8billioninthreeyears,duringwhichtimethestateofNorthCarolinapledged5.8 billion in three years, during which time the state of North Carolina pledged 5.8billioninthreeyears,duringwhichtimethestateofNorthCarolinapledged1.2 billion in state incentives.
Joe Lancaster | 12.11.2023 1:49 PM
Congress Authorized $7.5 Billion for E.V. Chargers. After 2 Years, None Are Built.
More than $2 billion has been distributed, but only two states have even broken ground and most states haven't even submitted proposals.
Joe Lancaster | 12.8.2023 11:41 AM
Gas Tax Revenues Decline as Cars Get More Efficient. How Will Government Pay for Roads?
Lawmakers should consider a user-fee system designed to charge drivers by the mile.
Veronique de Rugy | 12.7.2023 5:10 PM
Exclusive: Rand Paul Wants To Kill Electric Car Subsidies and Mandatory A.M. Radio
The senator has introduced an amendment to the AM For Every Vehicle Act, sponsored by Sens. Ed Markey and Ted Cruz.
Robby Soave | 12.5.2023 5:33 PM
Ford E.V. Battery Plant in Michigan Named Worst Economic Development Deal of 2023
For the third time in five years, the Center for Economic Accountability found an electric vehicle or battery plant to be the most egregious waste of taxpayer funds.
Joe Lancaster | 12.5.2023 1:45 PM
Automakers Rethink E.V. Investments as Higher Labor Costs Hit
President Joe Biden's support for the United Auto Workers might have harmed his push for a faster transition to electric vehicles.
Eric Boehm | 11.30.2023 1:00 PM
Starting Next Year, You Can Buy a Car on Amazon
While the partnership between Hyundai and Amazon is a good first step, states should get rid of laws that mandate franchise dealerships.
Joe Lancaster | 11.17.2023 1:46 PM
Both Republicans and Democrats Want 'Buy American' Provisions for E.V. Chargers
When the Biden administration temporarily suspended its own protectionist policies, Senate Republicans voted to reinstate them.
Joe Lancaster | 11.9.2023 4:40 PM
Gavin Newsom's Visit to China Demonstrated the California Governor's Lack of Statesmanship
Instead of looking like a future president, Newsom comes off as just another small man in a big office.
Steven Greenhut | 11.3.2023 8:00 AM
Democrats Say They're Fighting Inequality. But Many of Their Policies Favor the Rich.
Over the last several years, they have worked nonstop to ease the tax burden of their high-income constituents.
Veronique de Rugy | 10.26.2023 12:30 PM
Taxpayers Bankroll Electric Vehicles Even as Fewer People Buy Them
Ford and General Motors have tempered plans for E.V. production, but governments still spend billions of dollars in incentives.
Joe Lancaster | 10.26.2023 12:05 PM
Will Electric Cars Disappoint Environmentalists?
Mark Mills and Rosario Fortugno debate the future of electric vehicles.
Gene Epstein | 10.20.2023 1:45 PM
Gas Cars vs. Electric Vehicles: A Soho Forum Debate
Will electric cars disappoint environmentalists? Mark Mills and Rosario Fortugno debate.
Gene Epstein | 10.18.2023 6:00 PM
California Environmental Regulations Are Driving Truckers Out of Pennsylvania
The Golden State's new rules—which Pennsylvania's Environmental Quality Board opted to copy—will increase the cost of a new truck by about one-third.
John Stossel | 10.18.2023 12:30 AM
A Raise for Auto Workers May Imperil Biden's Electric Vehicle Ambitions
The president voiced support for the union's goals on the picket line but companies are already struggling to build fuel-efficient cars that Biden wants to prioritize.
Joe Lancaster | 10.3.2023 2:10 PM
Gasoline Engines and Sex Changes for Kids
Plus: Minimum wage laws, space exploration, that time when North Africa was less dysfunctional than California, and more...
Liz Wolfe | 9.29.2023 9:32 AM
'Bidenomics' Is Failing Everyday Americans
The big spending has fueled higher inflation, resulted in larger-than-projected deficits, and contributed to a record level of debt.
Veronique de Rugy | 9.21.2023 8:01 AM
How Florida Beat California to High-Speed Rail
One company is betting that it can run a commercially viable passenger rail service without massive federal subsidies.
Natalie Dowzicky | 9.20.2023 11:00 AM