The slowdown of electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the U.S. poses a significant challenge to achieving environmental sustainability goals.

What's this about?

People disagree about whether slower electric car sales in the U.S. will harm climate goals. A long slowdown could make cutting air pollution much harder.

What supporters say

• Cars and trucks create a large share of heat-trapping gas pollution in the United States.
• Climate plans depend on many drivers trading gas cars for cars that make no tailpipe pollution.
• If fewer people buy electric cars now, gas cars stay on roads longer and keep adding pollution.
• High prices, few chargers, range fears, and hard-to-use rules can slow the switch to electric cars.

What critics say

• A short drop in electric car sales does not mean climate goals will fail.
• Electric car sales could grow again later, which would reduce some harm over time.
• Other plans, such as cleaner power and public travel, can also cut pollution.
• We are not sure whether today’s slower sales will last for many years.

The bottom line

The risk is real if electric car sales stay slow for a long time. Electric cars usually create less heat-trapping gas pollution than similar gas cars, so delays make climate goals harder to reach.