Energy Blog: Retreat or Acceleration for Clean Technologies?
When my son and I see an ad on television for some big SUV touting its status as gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle, I—or sometimes both of us in unison, as he’s heard this enough times—point to the set and say, “Every car should be a hybrid.” My argument for years has been that while hybrids still burn gasoline, their higher efficiency means they can use less (a lot less in the case of plug-in hybrids) and they would enable a faster reduction in fuel consumption than forcing people to choose between all-electric and gasoline-only options. As with renewable power and a suite of other technologies that are being deployed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, my impulse is to not wait for the perfect if a pretty good solution is already at hand.
Recent events have put even pretty good solutions in doubt. For instance, a lot of the policy support for electric vehicles and other high-efficiency automobiles has been placed in jeopardy, through executive orders signed by President Donald Trump and other actions taken by various federal agencies. As The New York Times put it in a May 26 article, “The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are working to undercut the growth of electric vehicles, impose a new tax on them and swing federal policy sharply in favor of oil and gasoline.”
That article describes the early—and mostly forgotten—era of electric vehicles in the first part of the 20th century. At one point, around a third of the taxi cabs in New York City were electric. But government actions to promote the oil industry snuffed out that segment of the automotive industry, and by the 1930s electrics had disappeared from American roads.
EVs made up around 9 percent of the U.S. automotive market share in the third quarter of 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (Hybrids, both conventional and plug-in, took a 12 percent market share.)
History could repeat. Steps by the Trump Administration take square aim at the support EVs received in legislation passed during the Biden Administration. And earlier this month, the Senate voted to rescind California’s ability to impose emissions standards stricter than the Federal ones, which the state has used to impose a plan to eliminate sales of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.
More Energy Blogs: Electricity Not a Critical Import
Likewise, the Trump administration has removed overt support for solar and wind power projects and placed roadblocks in the way of many renewable facilities in the building phase. In some cases, the Environmental Protection Agency has been trying to claw back funding that had already been allocated, including money for projects in Puerto Rico intended to make that commonwealth more resilient in the face of a faltering fossil-fuel-powered electric grid.
Especially hard hit were wind farms, though the landmark Empire Wind Farm off the coast of New York received approval in mid-May to go forward.
Going further, a draft plan from the EPA suggests the agency “is proposing to repeal all greenhouse gas emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants,” according to a report from May 24.
While example of U.S. promotion of fossil fuels in the 1920s set the standard for automobiles worldwide in the 20th century, the present-day reversal of Federal support for efficient vehicles and renewable power may not be as impactful. For instance, according to the International Energy Agency, “global sales of electric cars are on track to surpass 20 million in 2025.” In fact, globally, sales of EVs were up 35 percent in the first three months of 2025, compared to the same period last year.
If that growth in sales doesn’t match the press coverage or executive impulses in the United States, that’s because center of gravity for this EV revolution is elsewhere.
“The number of electric cars sold in China last year (more than 11 million) is equivalent to the total sold worldwide in 2022. Emerging markets in Asia and Latin America have also become new centers of growth, with total electric car sales across these regions surging by more than 60 percent in 2024,” the IEA reported.
Based on Your Interests: Calm in the Midst of an Emergency
Likewise, renewable power is continuing to grow worldwide. Ember, the international energy consultancy based in London, collects data on power production in dozens of countries. The group recently released a dataset tracking wind and solar power capacity month by month, and the growth shown is startling.
“Solar power has grown faster than any other source in history while wind power ranks as the second fastest growing source of electricity of all time,” Ember reported in a press release announcing the dataset. “Brazil’s total solar capacity grew more than tenfold in five years, reaching 70.6 GW in January 2025. China’s solar capacity, alone, surpassed 1 TW in December of 2024–a milestone the entire world only reached at the end of 2022.”
China’s capacity isn’t sitting idle. The country, long castigated for its largescale building of coal-fired power plants, has put its wind and solar power to work, and in April 2025, Ember reported, wind and solar power supplied 26 percent of China’s electricity.
The world seems to be splitting in two. In the U.S., gasoline-only automobiles and fossil fuel power plants are getting a boost from official circles. But in most other places, renewables and EVs are taking larger and larger market shares.
I still believe all cars should be hybrids, but that feels more and more like a minority position. Maybe I should stop telling it to the TV ads.
Jeffrey Winters is editor in chief of Mechanical Engineering magazine.
Recent events have put even pretty good solutions in doubt. For instance, a lot of the policy support for electric vehicles and other high-efficiency automobiles has been placed in jeopardy, through executive orders signed by President Donald Trump and other actions taken by various federal agencies. As The New York Times put it in a May 26 article, “The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are working to undercut the growth of electric vehicles, impose a new tax on them and swing federal policy sharply in favor of oil and gasoline.”
That article describes the early—and mostly forgotten—era of electric vehicles in the first part of the 20th century. At one point, around a third of the taxi cabs in New York City were electric. But government actions to promote the oil industry snuffed out that segment of the automotive industry, and by the 1930s electrics had disappeared from American roads.
EVs made up around 9 percent of the U.S. automotive market share in the third quarter of 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (Hybrids, both conventional and plug-in, took a 12 percent market share.)
History could repeat. Steps by the Trump Administration take square aim at the support EVs received in legislation passed during the Biden Administration. And earlier this month, the Senate voted to rescind California’s ability to impose emissions standards stricter than the Federal ones, which the state has used to impose a plan to eliminate sales of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.
More Energy Blogs: Electricity Not a Critical Import
Likewise, the Trump administration has removed overt support for solar and wind power projects and placed roadblocks in the way of many renewable facilities in the building phase. In some cases, the Environmental Protection Agency has been trying to claw back funding that had already been allocated, including money for projects in Puerto Rico intended to make that commonwealth more resilient in the face of a faltering fossil-fuel-powered electric grid.
Especially hard hit were wind farms, though the landmark Empire Wind Farm off the coast of New York received approval in mid-May to go forward.
Going further, a draft plan from the EPA suggests the agency “is proposing to repeal all greenhouse gas emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants,” according to a report from May 24.
While example of U.S. promotion of fossil fuels in the 1920s set the standard for automobiles worldwide in the 20th century, the present-day reversal of Federal support for efficient vehicles and renewable power may not be as impactful. For instance, according to the International Energy Agency, “global sales of electric cars are on track to surpass 20 million in 2025.” In fact, globally, sales of EVs were up 35 percent in the first three months of 2025, compared to the same period last year.
If that growth in sales doesn’t match the press coverage or executive impulses in the United States, that’s because center of gravity for this EV revolution is elsewhere.
“The number of electric cars sold in China last year (more than 11 million) is equivalent to the total sold worldwide in 2022. Emerging markets in Asia and Latin America have also become new centers of growth, with total electric car sales across these regions surging by more than 60 percent in 2024,” the IEA reported.
Based on Your Interests: Calm in the Midst of an Emergency
Likewise, renewable power is continuing to grow worldwide. Ember, the international energy consultancy based in London, collects data on power production in dozens of countries. The group recently released a dataset tracking wind and solar power capacity month by month, and the growth shown is startling.
“Solar power has grown faster than any other source in history while wind power ranks as the second fastest growing source of electricity of all time,” Ember reported in a press release announcing the dataset. “Brazil’s total solar capacity grew more than tenfold in five years, reaching 70.6 GW in January 2025. China’s solar capacity, alone, surpassed 1 TW in December of 2024–a milestone the entire world only reached at the end of 2022.”
China’s capacity isn’t sitting idle. The country, long castigated for its largescale building of coal-fired power plants, has put its wind and solar power to work, and in April 2025, Ember reported, wind and solar power supplied 26 percent of China’s electricity.
The world seems to be splitting in two. In the U.S., gasoline-only automobiles and fossil fuel power plants are getting a boost from official circles. But in most other places, renewables and EVs are taking larger and larger market shares.
I still believe all cars should be hybrids, but that feels more and more like a minority position. Maybe I should stop telling it to the TV ads.
Jeffrey Winters is editor in chief of Mechanical Engineering magazine.
As renewable energy gains momentum, oil and natural gas continue to remain primary global energy sources. This collection delves into latest digital trends enabling breakthroughs in energy transformation.