The federal executive orders on electric vehicles that set a 50 percent zero-emission sales goal for 2030 and required federal agencies to transition their fleets to zero-emission vehicles were both revoked on January 20, 2025, when President Trump signed the “Unleashing American Energy” order.1The White House. Unleashing American Energy Congress followed by terminating the federal clean vehicle tax credits for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025. If you’re trying to figure out what federal EV policy actually requires today, the short answer is: far less than it did a year ago.
The 2030 Sales Goal (EO 14037)
Executive Order 14037, signed August 5, 2021, set a national goal that 50 percent of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in 2030 would be zero-emission vehicles, meaning battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric.2The American Presidency Project. Executive Order 14037 – Strengthening American Leadership in Clean Cars and Trucks The goal was a non-binding aspiration for automakers, not a legal requirement. No company faced penalties for missing it.
The order also directed the EPA to develop new multi-pollutant emissions standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles starting with model year 2027. The EPA finalized that rule in April 2024.3Congressional Research Service. Executive Order on Electric Vehicles – Goals and Directives After the revocation, EPA announced it would revisit the rule as part of terminating what the new administration called the EV mandate.4Environmental Protection Agency. Final Rule – Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later
The Federal Fleet Mandate (EO 14057)
Executive Order 14057, signed December 8, 2021, was the binding half of the picture. It required that 100 percent of new light-duty vehicle purchases by federal agencies be zero-emission by the end of fiscal year 2027, with the broader target of all federal vehicle acquisitions, including medium- and heavy-duty models, going zero-emission by 2035.5GovInfo. Executive Order 14057 – Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability
Any agency operating a fleet of at least 20 vehicles had to prepare and annually update a zero-emission fleet strategy covering fleet size, on-site charging infrastructure, and purchases of zero-emission models offered through the General Services Administration.6GovInfo. Executive Order 14057 – Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability – Section: Transitioning to a Zero-Emission Fleet
That order was revoked on January 20, 2025.1The White House. Unleashing American Energy Federal agencies are no longer bound by those timelines. Vehicles already purchased stay in service; the mandate driving future purchases does not.
Charging Infrastructure Funding Paused
Building a national charging network was a central piece of the Biden-era strategy, and the practical vehicle was the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It allocated billions to states for chargers along highway corridors.7Alternative Fuels Data Center. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program
The Unleashing American Energy order paused disbursement of funds from both the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, specifically naming NEVI and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program. Agencies were directed to review those programs for consistency with the new administration’s energy policy before releasing additional funds.1The White House. Unleashing American Energy Chargers already installed remain operational; the pace of new federally funded deployments has slowed.
Federal EV Tax Credits Are Gone
Executive orders set direction, but Congress controlled the money. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 created the Section 30D Clean Vehicle Credit (up to $7,500 for a new qualifying EV, up to $4,000 for a used one from a licensed dealer), along with the Section 45W Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit and the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit for charging equipment.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 30D – Clean Vehicle Credit
The FY2025 reconciliation law terminated all three vehicle credits for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025, and repealed the refueling property credit for charging equipment placed in service after June 2026.9Congressional Research Service. IRA Tax Credit Repeal in the FY2025 Reconciliation Law – Part 2 If you took delivery of a qualifying vehicle before the cutoff, you can still claim the credit on your return. For anyone shopping now, the federal purchase incentive no longer exists.
What the January 2025 Order Actually Did
The Unleashing American Energy executive order revoked EO 14037 and EO 14057 by name, along with roughly a dozen other Biden-era climate and energy orders. Its stated policy is to eliminate the EV mandate, ensure a “level regulatory playing field” for consumer vehicle choice, and consider ending subsidies the administration views as market distortions favoring electric vehicles over other technologies.1The White House. Unleashing American Energy
The order also directed agencies to consider terminating state emissions waivers that effectively limit sales of gasoline-powered vehicles. That provision targets states like California, which had set its own zero-emission vehicle sales mandates under Clean Air Act waivers. Legal challenges to any such termination are likely.
Add it up and the federal role in accelerating EV adoption has been sharply reduced. The 50 percent sales goal is gone. The federal fleet mandate is gone. NEVI charging funds are paused pending review. The consumer and commercial tax credits end after September 30, 2025. State policies, market forces, and consumer demand now drive EV adoption in place of the federal executive framework that existed through 2024.