is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.
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President Donald Trump has made no secret of his disdain for electric vehicles. On the first day of his presidency, he signed an executive order to eliminate EV incentives that he has often falsely portrayed as an “electric vehicle mandate.” And last month, Republicans in Congress voted to kill the $7,500 tax credit, among other subsidies designed to make EVs more affordable.
You’d think all this negative overhead would depress EV sales, but instead, Americans are rushing to take advantage of those credits before they expire on September 30th (or thereabouts). Automakers are pouring fuel on the fire in the form of their own discounts and incentives. As a result, EV sales are soaring to new heights right now — and it’s all thanks to Trump.
Battery-electric vehicles are expected to account for 12.8 percent of car sales in August, up 3.2 percent year over year, according to JD Power. That’s also an increase of 1.6 percent from July’s figures and represents an all-time high for EVs, exceeding the previous peak of 11.2 percent set in December 2024.
As a result, EV sales are soaring to new heights right now — and it’s all thanks to Trump.
“The coming twilight is causing consumers to speed up their purchases,” says Tyson Jominy, senior VP of data and analytics at JD Power.
Automakers eager to get EV-curious shoppers in the dealership are offering their own discounts of $6,700 per unit, an increase of $1,500 from July, the firm says. As a result, average EV transaction prices are down $2,500 to $44,300, which is now below the average of $45,700 for gas-powered vehicles.
You heard that right: right now, for what is very likely the first time ever, the average EV is cheaper than the average internal combustion engine vehicle.
Jominy says that EV inventory was expected to be a bottleneck but now could be “an albatross” for automakers. JD Power estimates that the total number of used and new EVs at dealerships in August is 197,000, down about 10,000 from July and enough for the next 59 days.
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