Summary
The Biden administration will allow California to ban new gas-powered car sales by 2035, with 11 other states following. This uses a Clean Air Act waiver permitting stricter state-level pollution controls to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Trump plans to revoke the waiver, roll back EV tax credits, and fight California’s climate policies, potentially sparking legal battles.
California, leading the U.S. in EV adoption, aims to “Trump-proof” its agenda, bolstered by automaker deals and strong market influence.
The ban could accelerate EV investments, shaping nearly half of the U.S. auto market and global climate policy trends.
everything controlled by touchscreens and collecting data that the car companies sell off to the highest bidder
This has nothing to do with the engine type. This is a (valid) concern about new cars. But citing it as a reason to avoid EVs is misplaced.
Are there affordable EVs being mass-produced that do not suffer from an overabundance of touch-based controls?
Hyundai and GM / Chevy are the two biggest examples of automakers producing affordable EVs with traditional buttons and knobs. Audi, BMW, and Porsche are all moving back in that direction, but generally those aren’t in the affordable category you mentioned.
Recent articles suggest many automakers swinging back towards the physical control side of the spectrum. It’s a very good thing, touchscreens for basic auto controls was a terrible idea.
