The Time Is Right to Switch to an Electric Vehicle
Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent, August 2025
Consider It an Act of Resistance
It’s official: when it comes to protecting us from the growing threat of a climate crisis, the federal government is not just asleep at the wheel – it’s driving us in reverse. Regressive climate policies, funding rollbacks, and the purge of environmental agencies threaten to permanently set the climate movement back by a decade or more.
As we watch years of climate progress unravel, state and local action is the only path toward a livable future. Thankfully, there are many impactful ways we can resist these attempts to thwart climate progress. While this may seem small in the scheme of things, one such way is to switch to an electric vehicle.
Driving Electric Is an Act of Resistance
Transportation is the highest-emitting sector in the United States, and D.C. seems bent on keeping it that way by threatening California’s clean car goals and taking aim at the Clean Air Act. If you want to resist these attacks on the climate movement, switch to an EV. EVs emit much less carbon and air pollution than gas-powered vehicles (no matter how you charge them), and adopting an EV in these times signals your resistance to oil companies and support for climate action.
This is especially true for California residents. As the fourth-largest economy in the world with far more cars on the road than any other state, California has the power to shape global vehicle markets and influence climate action well beyond our borders. When we back California’s 2035 zero-emissions vehicle target and collectively push for EV adoption, it sends a clear message to automakers, other states, and the federal government: the clean energy revolution is still underway — regardless of what happens on the Hill or in the White House.
Cue the Countdown: 60 Days Until the Federal EV Tax Credits Expire
Buying a new car can be costly and complicated, so let’s break down how to get a new or used electric vehicle at an affordable price. Through IRS Clean Vehicle Tax Credits, you can get up to $7,500 to buy or lease a new plug-in hybrid, EV, or fuel cell vehicle or up to $4,000 for a used one … but not for long. When Congress signed the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, they cut this EV affordability program and set it to expire September 30, 2025 (instead of 2032). If you want to claim these EV savings, head to the dealership as soon as possible.
To read this feature in its entirety visit Santa Barbara Independent. To learn how CEC can assist with navigating federal EV tax credits, visit cecsb.org/electrify-your-life.
