People who specialize in selling EVs say it’s the driving experience that gets customers in these cars, not politics or concerns about the environment. Buying a car doesn’t have to be a political act. But many car dealers and salespeople have been swept up by cultural currents that make almost everything political, where buyers in liberal-leaning areas are more likely to consider an EV, and such a prospect is near-unthinkable in conservative-leaning areas. Inside Climate News visited two dealerships near Minneapolis-St. Paul last month to learn what it’s like to sell EVs at a time of intense polarization.

Sales of electric vehicles are expected to increase 35% worldwide in 2023 to hit 14 million sold by the end of 2023 and are predicted to make up 60% of all vehicle sales in China, the US and Europe by 2030. That means we'll need charging stations to be as common as gas stations. As electric cars become commonplace, more brands are adopting Tesla's charging standard. Here are all the EVs that will soon have access to the Tesla Supercharger and when they're making the switch.

The EV charging infrastructure in the U.S. is not ready to handle mass EV adoption. There just aren't enough chargers and many of the existing ones suffer from reliability issues. The one exception is Tesla's Supercharger network. Though, because the Supercharger network uses Tesla's North American Charging Standard—or "NACS"—ports. Non-Tesla EVs use Combined Charging Standard—CCS—ports which makes them incompatible with Tesla's Superchargers. This is beginning to change as more EV manufacturers announce partnerships with Tesla to use NACS ports in their new EVs. Read about which manufacturers plan to make the switch.

One of the most talked about features in the EV world works only when your car is parked: Bidirectional charging allows owners to turn their vehicles into four-wheeled batteries, sending power back to their homes, appliances and even to the utility grid. Here's what you need to know about bidirectional charging, including how it works, which cars have it and whether it's the next big thing in energy storage.

Private companies are already making major investments in EV charging and argue against competition from monopoly utilities, like Xcel, which use home customer dollars to fund their plans. There is a tug-of-war over the answer between Xcel Energy, Colorado’s monopoly utility, and the private charging companies and retailers. It is a clash that will be played out before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, with hearings tentatively scheduled for early next year.

The Biden administration on Monday released its list of EVs that qualify for a full $7,500 federal tax credit. Out of more than 90 EV models available today, only 10 qualify and they’re all from American car companies. Eight are all-electric, and two are plug-in hybrids. This is a step backwards for fighting climate change!

Fewer new electric vehicles will qualify for a full $7,500 federal tax credit later this year, and many will get only half that, under rules proposed by the U.S. Treasury Dept. The rules, required under the Inflation Reduction Act, are likely to slow consumer acceptance of EVs and could delay the President’s ambitious goal of 50% EVs by 2030. The new rules take effect April 18 and are aimed at reducing U.S. dependence on China and other countries for battery supply chains for EVs.

Taking a cross-country trip in your electric vehicle is perfectly doable, but you must plan ahead and it probably won’t come without some anxious moments. Improvements to EV charging infrastructure are needed.

As EVs hit the road around the country, hundreds of thousands of people are beginning to learn the ins and outs of car charging: how to install home chargers, where to find public charging stations, and how to avoid “range anxiety.” But as EV owners plug in their cars, there is a looming problem: pressures on electricity grids if most drivers charge their electric cars at night.

Long stretches of highways and many communities across the US are lacking the charging infrastructure necessary for EVs to thrive — and data analyzed by CNN shows that metro areas are further ahead than states with smaller populations in the central and western US, like Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas.

Colorado’s NEVI plan (National EV Infrastructure) plan has been approved and funded by the Infrastructure Act. The $5 billion NEVI Formula Program will provide dedicated funding to States to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure and establish an interconnected network to facilitate data collection, access, and reliability. You can read the plan here.

Citizens Climate Lobby Chaffee County chapter leader Sandy Long talks about electric vehicle options and opportunities