The past nine months have been a political rollercoaster of federal clean energy policy rollbacks that sometimes has felt like it’s headed off the rails. Despite the shortsighted policy curves, drops, and loop-de-loops, there are reasons to believe that market forces may smooth out this whipsawing political moment.
Many clean energy technologies, including EVs, are already outperforming legacy fossil fuel technologies. For example, in the Southeast, EV sales increased by 38% through the first half of 2025, while EVs now account for one out of every four cars sold globally. In the third quarter of 2025, American consumers bought a record number of EVs before the $7,500 tax credits expired on September 30:
- 40% of all Cadillacs sold in Q3 were EVs
- A strong Q3 performance sent GM’s EV sales up 105% from last year
- Ford hit a quarterly record of 30,600 EVs sold, up 30.2%
- Hyundai’s EV sales doubled, led by record quarterly sales of its IONIQ 5
Meanwhile, global solar generation grew by a record 31% in the first half of 2025 and, for the first time on record, solar and wind generated more power than coal globally.
To put it another way, whether looking globally or locally, clean energy solutions are gaining momentum. Here are three recent posts that illustrate why hope remains alive despite the whirlwind of politics.
The electric horse has left the barn
Despite recent political headwinds as the Trump administration attempts to undo the work of an EV-friendly Biden administration, the electric horse has left the barn. The American EV market may get reined in from a gallop to a trot, but it is still gaining ground. The data shows that the U.S. and global EV markets continue to grow steadily, indicating there is likely sufficient market momentum at home and abroad to withstand America’s political EV flip-flop: sales and market share are up, charger deployments are up, EV drivers continue to report high satisfaction, and consumers continue to express interest. In other words, despite the rollback of EV manufacturer and consumer incentives and economic headwinds caused by inflation and tariffs, consumers continue to abandon internal combustion vehicles for the lower operational costs, reduced maintenance, and cleaner ride that EVs provide. Giddy up! Read more.
Hot Springs, solar microgrids, and cleaner EVs
A few weeks ago, I went hiking along the Appalachian Trail above Hot Springs, North Carolina, near where I live. A solar plus battery storage microgrid delivers reliable 24/7 electricity to this remote town, which, prior to this clean energy investment, experienced frequent power outages. In fact, though floods during Hurricane Helene ravaged Hot Springs, this solar plus battery storage microgrid kept the lights on, reducing a possible multi-week power outage to just a few days. What does this have to do with EVs? The cleaner the electricity, the cleaner the ride. The EV I drive already reduces my transportation emissions by 84% based on the current mix of fossil gas, nuclear, coal, solar, hydro, biomass, wind, and oil used to generate electricity in North Carolina. Each time that more solar is added to the grid, my EV becomes even cleaner, and I get closer to the dream of driving on sunshine! Read more.
EV affordability without tax credits
Unfortunately, President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ one big budget bill took a sledgehammer to tax credits that saved Americans money on new and used electric vehicles. However, before you write off EV ownership as affordable entirely, I’d like to share my story of dipping my toes into the EV waters before diving headfirst into EV ownership:
- In 2013, I sold my last gas car, a Mazda 3, for $9,000 and invested in my first EV, a leased 88-mile range Nissan Leaf that cost me $9,000 for three years/36,000 miles
- Bought a used 110-mile Leaf for $12,000, sold it for $11,500 four years later
- Bought a used 245-mile Bolt for $18,000, sold it for $12,000 five years later
- Bought a used 330-mile Tesla Model Y with 15,000 miles on it for $29,500
In other words, over 12 years, I have spent $36,000 out-of-pocket and have a low-mileage 2022 Tesla Model Y sitting in the driveway. I have averaged $1,200 in gas and oil change savings annually, totaling $14,400 saved just for the privilege of not driving a gas car. The only maintenance costs I have had driving used EVs are two sets of tires and one pair of front brake calipers, totaling $2,100. Add that up, and it has effectively cost me $24,000 or $2,000/year (not including insurance and taxes) to own and operate state-of-the-art cars for 12 years and drive for approximately 180,000 miles. Read more.
Want to join the EV conversation? Let’s connect on LinkedIn!
SACE’s Electrify the South program leverages research, advocacy, and outreach to accelerate the equitable transition to electric transportation across the Southeast. Visit ElectrifytheSouth.org to learn more and connect with us.
