It’s midterm! Here’s a fun fact for you as you head to the polls: Gas prices today are the highest on record for an election day in the United States.
The national average for a gallon of gasoline is $4.12 and $6.28 for a gallon of diesel, according to GasBuddy. Meanwhile, the Strategic Oil Reserve, maintained by the U.S. Department of Energy as collateral during energy crises, fell to 282.2 million barrels of crude, the lowest level in 44 years.
Gas prices, along with other cost-of-living essentials, are sure to be top of mind for many voters this election cycle. And perhaps many will also remember the political party that campaigned with a campaign message ending the fictitious “EV mandate” and “drill, baby, drill.”
Over the past two years, Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have made rolling back incentives for electric vehicles, freezing funding for charging infrastructure and lowering fuel economy standards a hallmark of their time in office. As a result, electric vehicle sales have plummeted in the United States, ensuring that Americans will remain indefinitely tied to fossil fuels for years to come. For Trump, it fulfilled a promise he made during the 2024 campaign. And for his oil and gas industry donors, it was money well spent.
Most voters may not have cared much. After all, skepticism about electric vehicles was already high, due to high prices and ongoing charging anxiety. But when Trump went to war with Iran, the resulting surge in gas prices caused Americans to look for cheaper means of transportation. Many turned to hybrid and electric vehicles as a solution – only to find that vehicle prices were still higher than average, with no federal incentives to help cover the costs. Dealers have seen an increase in foot traffic from drivers skeptical of battery-powered cars, who are now desperate for anything that works with a plug or hybrid motor.
Even though automakers have made great strides toward cheaper electric vehicles, the average transaction price still sits well above $50,000. But the incentive that once helped close that gap – the $7,500 federal clean vehicle tax credit, applied instantly at the point of sale – is gone. Subsidies had been systematically dismantled or abandoned under the banner of fiscal discipline and anti-green populism.
Here is the real irony of this election. Republicans have spent years portraying electric cars as a liberal, out-of-touch fad, doing everything they can to eliminate tax credits and charging programs. They repealed fuel economy standards that would have required automakers to build more fuel-efficient powertrains, saying they spared daily drivers expensive technology they didn’t want.
Instead, they removed an important tool that could have protected family budgets from a global energy crisis. Electricity is produced right here, at home; its price does not increase every time a conflict breaks out in the Middle East. But because Republicans have treated electric vehicles like a partisan culture war, millions of Americans are stuck at the pump, watching prices rise.
Even if Democrats win back Congress, don’t expect them to restore the Biden-era electric vehicle tax credits. The political fight over what kind of car people drive is probably stuck. At the same time, major automakers are supporting Trump’s efforts in court to repeal strict fuel economy rules. Electric cars are not disappearing, but they must now stand on their own two feet. Companies like General Motors and Ford are considering making them more affordable, as long as the government continues to prevent cheap Chinese models from entering the market.
In the end, Trump won his culture war against the electric car. Automakers backed down, subsidies disappeared, and the traditional combustion engine was saved from the hands of bureaucrats. But victories come at a price. And as voters enter the booth with 4 gallons of gas on their minds, they might finally realize what was traded: the simple freedom to walk past the pump and never look back.
Gn bussni
