Summary
The Biden administration will allow California to ban new gas-powered car sales by 2035, with 11 other states following. This uses a Clean Air Act waiver permitting stricter state-level pollution controls to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Trump plans to revoke the waiver, roll back EV tax credits, and fight California’s climate policies, potentially sparking legal battles.
California, leading the U.S. in EV adoption, aims to “Trump-proof” its agenda, bolstered by automaker deals and strong market influence.
The ban could accelerate EV investments, shaping nearly half of the U.S. auto market and global climate policy trends.
I have never in my life purchased a new car. They are too expensive. Most normal people that I know also have only ever bought a car from a used car lot. I have always considered leasing a car to be throwing away money. So, like a lot of people, I drive beaters that I can actually afford.
The $55k might be reasonable compared to the average new car, but look around you on the road. Lots of 7+ year old cars…most people can’t afford $55k with or without a rebate. I know that is just the price of doing business, and nothing is likely to suddenly cost $10k. But for the average person, this just means driving their fossil fuel burning car longer until they can figure something out.
I was in the market for a car back in the start of 2023. I was floored at how leases were at the same monthly cost as just financing new for the same exact car. As in, there was practically zero advantage in doing so. Why do people do this?
The cost of new and used are at a point where if you own your car outright, it’s far cheaper to just keep it on the road. I know not everyone can afford the downtime for big repairs, and keeping $1000-2000 on hand for repairs is not easy. But it can work out to a lot less per year which is the trick. Sadly, economics got us into this mess and without some kind of intervention, they’re gonna keep us here for a while.
So they can get a new car every 3 years when the lease expires.