THE MORNING RANT: Periodic Roundup of the EV Follies - 12/08/2025
[The header is a recent photo of EVs showcasing their spontaneous combustion feature at the Rivian dealership in Franklin, TN]
President Trump has unwound the eco-communist regulations imposed by the Obama/Biden administrations, which sought to deny Americans driving freedom.
Specifically, Biden’s regulators had imposed unattainable Corporate Average Fuel Economy (“CAFE”
goals, which effectively served as an EV mandate. It also served to drive up the price of all cars, in part because of the fee that manufacturers of internal combustion (“ICE”
vehicles had to pay to EV manufacturers for carbon credits. If you bought a gas-powered car in recent years, your purchase price almost certainly included a premium that was diverted to an EV manufacturer to purchase carbon credits.
That anti-freedom insanity has finally ended. President Trump states that his actions will save consumers $109 billion in the cost of compliance built into auto manufacturing.
“Trump rolls back Biden-era fuel efficiency standards for vehicles” [USA Today – 12/04/2025]
When Never-Trump agitators are complaining about Trump not focusing enough on the economy (by which they mean they want him to roll back tariffs and open the border back up to illegal immigration), remember that what you drive and how you propel it is a pocketbook issue, and this action will save consumers money.
And by the way, have you seen how cheap gasoline is? I’ve seen it at under $2.20 per gallon this past weekend. By promoting “Drill baby drill” we have cheap gas to propel our ICE cars.
President Trump’s actions only roll back the CAFE standards to pre-Biden levels that were set by Congress, but almost overlooked at the time of the One Big Beautiful Bill is that that bill zeroed out all penalties for non-compliance with CAFÉ laws. Auto manufacturers finally have the freedom to build and sell what consumers want to buy.
I’ve been harsh toward Ford CEO Jim Farley and his company’s EV debacle, but he clearly sees now that there is no way forward with EVs, and he is listening to customers and dealers now. Farley was in attendance with President Trump and offered praise.
“Ford CEO hails Trump fuel standards reset as a 'victory' for affordability and common sense” [Fox Business – 12/04/2025]
"What you should know is that this is a victory for affordability and common sense. As the president said, we will be able to offer more affordability on our popular models, and we'll be able to launch new vehicles built in America that are more affordable because of this rule change," Ford CEO Jim Farley said…
"Frankly, [the Corporate Average Fuel Economy] was totally out of touch with the market reality. We were forced to sell EVs and other vehicles. We're not going back to gas-guzzlers," he continued. "We have a lot of EVs and a lot of hybrids at Ford, but now customers get a chance to choose what they want, not by what we force on them."
Although the CEO of Stellantis (Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep) was also in attendance with President Trump, General Motors’ CEO, Mary Barra, was noticeably absent. She had been an extremely obedient puppet of the Obama/Biden regimes, committing to them that GM would quickly become a 100% electric car company. Despite the change of administrations and customer rejection of General Motors’ EV products, Ms. Barra has still not backed away from that all-EV commitment. I suppose she’s still waiting for permission from her Obama/Biden-era handlers.
*****
Speaking of Ford pivoting back to the gas-powered vehicles that consumers will actually purchase…
“Ford’s EV sales plunge 60% in November with the F-150 Lightning still on hold” [electrek – 12.02.2025]
While hybrid sales rose 13.6% to 16,301, Ford’s EV sales plunged 60.8% in November. Ford sold just 4,247 all-electric vehicles last month, a stark contrast from the over 10,800 it sold in the year prior.
Sales of the flagship Ford F150
Conflagration Lightning plummeted 72% to just 1,006 units, which annualizes to just 12,072 units per year. Ford initially expected to be selling about 150,000 electric pickup trucks per year by now. It’s a good thing that CEO Farley finally woke up.
Bill Ford has been the voice of the Ford family for years, and he has been pushing hard to make Ford a company that his eco-communist friends in Davos could embrace. If CEO Farley is finally backing off from the EV commitment, he had to get Bill Ford’s permission. While I’m not a Ford family Kremlinologist, I suspect that other Ford family members are finally pushing back on Bill Ford and his destructive agenda for the company.
*****
Blue States Are Helping My Cause with EV Charger Taxes
High-tax states like to tax everything that generates economic activity, which also disincentives those activities which they tax. This story makes me smile, as it further disincentivizes EV ownership in Maryland.
[h/t to our very own Mr. Doof]
“Maryland’s $150 EV charger tax: Unplugging the EV future” [Maryland Matters – 11/30/2025]
The damage falls hardest on low-margin Level 2 stations that drivers rely on daily. Apartment complexes, hotel lots, small retail centers, and office buildings often run these chargers at break-even or as customer perks.
A substantial yearly charger tax transforms a goodwill gesture into a financial liability. Many hosts will run the numbers, see red ink, and simply rip out the equipment rather than pass the cost to users or risk repeated red tags for minor violations.
Charger hosts lose the incentive to keep stations online. Drivers lose convenient charging options. The public charging network shrinks at the exact moment Maryland needs it to expand.
*****
More EV “Park Away from Structures” Recalls
If you drive an EV or a plug-in hybrid EV, there is a good chance that your experience has included a warning from the car’s manufacturer to park far away from structures, since the vehicle has a propensity to spontaneously erupt in flames.
Volkswagen’s ID.4 EV has been a catastrophic disaster that has tarnished the company’s reputation. After numerous stop-sells and recalls, ID.4 owners are now being instructed to park their EV outside and to avoid fully charging them.
“Multiple Fires Spark Urgent Warning For Volkswagen EV Owners: Some owners are being told to park their ID.4 EVs outside and to stop using DC fast chargers” [CarScoops – 12/05/2025]
Due to the dangers, owners are being advised to “park outside immediately after charging and not leave their vehicles charging indoors overnight until the recall repair is complete.” On top of that, customers are being told to stop using DC fast chargers and to limit their battery’s charge to 80%.
Range anxiety has always been a major problem for EVs. Telling customers not to fully charge their EVs only worsens that problem.
Chrysler / Stellantis is also advising drivers of its plug-in hybrid EVs about the need to park their explosive vehicles a safe distance away from structures. They are also being instructed to not charge them at all.
“Chrysler recalls 320,000 SUVs, telling owners to park outside over battery fire risk” [CBS – 11/05/2025]
Chrysler is recalling 320,065 Jeep Wranglers and Grand Cherokees because the plug-in hybrid SUVs' high-voltage batteries could fail, potentially causing a fire while a vehicle is parked or in motion, according to federal regulators.
Owners should park the vehicles outside and away from structures, and not charge the cars until they are fixed, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a recall notice. The agency said a fix for the issue is currently under development, but didn't specify when it might be available to vehicle owners.
*****
Boom Goes the EV
Electric vehicles are still spontaneously exploding, putting buildings and firefighters in great danger.
“Electric vehicle catches fire inside Douglas County garage, delivery driver seeks medical help” [KDVR – 12/01/2025]
The fire department first said that two residents were safely evacuated from the home, then later shared that one person had been transported for further evaluation.
Here is video of the fire.
[h/t to Mr. Muldoon]
*****
The burning Rivians in the header photo above are from this story:
“Electric vehicles erupt in flames at Franklin dealership” [Yahoo News – 11/03/2025]
According to officials, the call initially came in as a dumpster fire, but when the first district captain arrived at the scene, he quickly realized three vehicles were on fire, another one was in jeopardy, and flames were penetrating the building.
I laughed when I read this news story, because “dumpster fire” is the perfect term for everything related to Rivian. Investors were fleeced, and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp famously threw $1 billion taxpayer dollars at Rivian for a plant that will never be built.
But I stopped laughing when I read that a firefighter was injured.
“Firefighter injured while fighting early morning fire at Franklin [Rivian] dealership” [WSMV – 11/01/2025]
I have several correspondents who are firefighters, and they have explained to me the perils of putting out runaway lithium EV fires, and how ineffective water is for containing such a fire.
Firefighters are already putting their lives at risk to protect us all. Driving or selling EVs is a selfish act that unnecessarily makes a firefighter’s job even more dangerous.
*****
As I have written about before, one of the most preposterous features of most EVs is that the door handles are not mechanical. Instead, they rely on electronic signals, which coincidentally enough may not work when the car has been in a wreck and the battery gets damaged. If the car subsequently becomes engulfed in a runaway thermal fire, a non-functioning door handle is really, really inconvenient.
“Children sue Tesla after parents killed in fiery crash over alleged door handle failure” [NY Post – 11/04/2025]
Jeffrey Bauer, 54, and Michelle Bauer, 55, survived the initial impact after the four-door sedan slammed into a tree – but were unable to escape the fire because the doors locked them inside, according to a suit filed by their children on Friday in Wisconsin state court.
A nearby homeowner who called 911 said she could hear people screaming inside the vehicle, according to the lawsuit.
*****
There is one less EV charging station on the remote highways of northwest Colorado.
“Maybell residents report loud explosion at EV charging station” [KDVR – 11/30/2025]
Around 10:40 p.m. on Saturday, residents of Maybell in Moffat County reported hearing a loud explosion, which was followed by a fire at an electric vehicle charging station at the Victory Hotel on Lowell Street.
[h/t to Ace of Spades reader “Alpine_Beer”]
*****
Maybe Ford Shouldn’t Have Let Go All Those Engineers
Ford dismissed hundreds of engineers about three years ago, because EVs are alleged to be mechanically simpler. Since Ford was going all-EV, engineers wouldn’t be needed so much anymore. Plus, firing all those engineers freed up money to cover the EV losses.
“Ford Being Sued For a Missing F-150 Lightning Feature; There are allegedly 2024 Ford F-150 Lightnings missing the Forward Sensing System, according to the lawsuit” [Autoblog – 11/28/2025]
Car Complaints reports that a class-action suit has been filed against Ford. The suit alleges that there are 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning models that lack the Forward Sensing System, despite the window sticker claiming that the model comes with it.
This is quite concerning given that that particular feature has something to do with safety. Ford’s Forward Sensing System alerts the driver of hazards or objects in front of the vehicle through a series of ‘beeps’ that increase in frequency if the vehicle nears the obstacle.
Perhaps Ford should have had actual engineers, rather than climate activists, giving the green light to sell those fraudulently mislabeled pickup trucks.
[buck.throckmorton at protonmail dot com]
Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at
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Gaijin on the train.
Philip's inability to FAKE attachment is very American, and of course why we like him.
This gig, which happens immediately after Philip accepts the job, made me a bit nervous about what might come next.
It's nice to see small businesses thriving in Japan. Even if they're fundamentally very weird.
