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EV makers say they aren't counting on Democrats to restore federal support after midterms

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Summary

  • The Trump administration ended the up to $7,500 federal EV purchase incentive after September 2025, and EV sales that spiked beforehand have since fallen.
  • Democrats won House and Senate majorities in the November 2026 midterms and take control of Congress in January 2027.
  • The CEOs of Rivian, Lucid, and Scout Motors say they are not counting on Congress restoring federal EV support, though they would welcome it.
  • Democrats appear focused on healthcare and affordability rather than climate, and lack the votes to override presidential vetoes.
  • Ford sold no F-150 Lightning pickups in October 2026, and EV sales fell 30% year over year over the first three quarters of 2026.
  • The average new EV price was more than $54,800 in September 2026, compared with just over $51,100 for the overall industry.

Reactions

  • Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said Democratic control would probably have less impact than people think, but hoped Congress and Trump could find middle ground.
  • Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli said Lucid plans for the worst and hopes for the best, and would take anything positive.
  • Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh said Scout was built to not count on legislation, and said he would prefer support for EV production over customer incentives.
  • President Trump said he will use his veto power aggressively, saying Democrats will send over things that are insane.
  • Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said Trump's clean energy attacks drove up prices for taxpayers, and Democrats will work every angle to lower energy costs.
  • A columnist called Ford's zero F-150 Lightning sales in October good news, arguing Ford should focus on gas-powered vehicles and hybrids.

Related

Timeline newest first

  1. EV sales spiked in the year before the Trump administration ended the up to $7,500 purchase incentive after September 2025, then fell from that high.
  2. The White House said on November 4, 2026 that Trump is committed to unleashing affordable energy sources and is willing to work with anyone to accomplish this.
  3. Developer Orsted said on November 5, 2026 that Revolution Wind, a large wind farm in federal waters off Rhode Island, had started operating commercially.
  4. Ford sold no F-150 Lightning pickups in October 2026, down from 1,543 in October 2025, after the federal government discontinued the $7,500 EV tax incentive.
  5. The end of the $7,500 federal EV tax incentive pushed US EV sales down 30% year over year in the first three quarters of 2026.

Sources newest first

Background newest first