Tech Brew keeps business leaders up-to-date on the latest innovations, automation advances, policy shifts, and more, so they can make informed decisions about tech.

Tech Brew

Jordyn Grzelewski

techbrew.com

Image of a man and a woman charging red and green electric vehicles.

What’s driving women buyers away from EVs?

“It’s a collective effort to get more women driving [EVs],” Kate Harrison, the co-founder of EV transition startup MoveEV, told Tech Brew.

Image of a plug going into an electric vehicle

New research explains why US is ‘in the slow lane’ on EV adoption

The report points to “culture of ICE dependence” and charging concerns to explain why the US lags behind China and Europe on EV adoption.

Illustration of a car’s exhaust pipe with smoke in the shape of a lightning bolt

In unveiling new vehicle emissions rule, Biden administration emphasizes power of choice 

“Our autoworkers are making cars and trucks that give American drivers a choice,” Biden’s national climate advisor said.

Future of Travel

If the path to EV adoption were a highway, China would be zooming along in the fast lane, Europe would be trucking along at a respectable pace—and the US would be getting passed.

That’s one of the takeaways from EY’s latest 

, which predicts a slower trajectory on mass EV adoption in the US because of federal policy changes, affordability issues, and gaps in charging infrastructure.

The report underscores the risks of the US EV sector falling behind competitors in China and Europe. It also emphasizes that, though the road to full electrification may be bumpy, the world will one day get there.

“Electrification is the future…I think there’s a lot of questions out there as to whether or not people will fully adapt,” George Lenyo, EY Americas automotive leader, told Tech Brew. “The Mobility Lens Forecast really says, ‘Yes, they will,’ it’s just going to take longer than maybe people would have anticipated.”

Here’s what EY predicts is in store for the US market:

The timeline for battery-electric vehicles reaching 50% of new-vehicle sales has shifted from 2034 to 2039.

Alternative scenarios show BEVs reaching 50% of the market as early as 2036 or as late as 2042.

 is expected this year as buyers get ahead of the expiration of EV tax credits under President Donald Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, followed by a decrease in 2026–2027.

Hybrid vehicle sales could peak at 34% of new-vehicle sales in 2034.

And by 2050, the forecast calls for BEVs to make up more than 95% of the market.

In China, meanwhile, EY forecasts that BEVs will make up more than half of new light-vehicle sales by 2033, “driven by lower costs and supportive policies” such as new vehicle emission standards—underscoring that the country “is pulling ahead in the global shift to EVs.” BEV adoption is expected to slow in Europe through 2027, but then to exceed 50% market share by 2032.

“The EV transition is advancing—but unevenly,” Constantin Gall, EY global aerospace, defense, and mobility leader, said in a statement. “The US faces policy uncertainty, high costs, and infrastructure gaps.”

Lenyo pointed to tariffs and other policy changes, including the sunsetting this month of the EV tax incentives, as factors that explain the expected slowdown in US EV sales growth. The report also suggests that, starting in 2026, the price gap between BEVs and internal combustion engine vehicles could widen.

“The risk for the US is, how far do we fall behind because of these constraints that have been put upon them recently to deal with. I think that the OEMs are very resilient,” Lenyo said.

“They have to keep one foot in today and constantly be looking at [the] future of full electrification,” he added, “and balancing that investment accordingly.”

For adoption rates in the US to catch up with Europe and China, Lenyo said that affordability and infrastructure will need to improve, as will consumer education. The US EV charging sector is 

 on building more public fast chargers with the amenities that consumers are looking for, but there’s more work to be done.

“The big takeaway: Electrification is the future,” Lenyo said. “We see all major sections of the world, whether it’s the US, Europe, or China, getting there, roughly, by 2050. But the pace of that, specifically in the US, has slowed.”

An electric vehicle charger resembling a downward market arrow hovering over a charging port

EY forecasts slower pace of US EV adoption in years ahead

EY’s latest Mobility Lens Forecaster predicts a five-year delay before EVs make up 50% of the market.

Can’t convince a friend to pick you up from the airport?

Travelers in San Francisco and San Jose will soon have a backup option: hailing a robotaxi via Waymo.

The Alphabet-owned ride-hailing company on Tuesday announced that it’s gotten the OK to start operations at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Waymo already serves airport passengers in Phoenix, and announced earlier this month that it would soon start offering rides at San Jose Mineta International Airport in California. That move marks “the first step in Waymo’s planned deployment in San Jose,” according to a news release.

“It’s the perfect time for Waymo’s autonomous vehicles to begin to roll into San Jose, the Capital of Silicon Valley,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement. “With San Jose at the epicenter of the biggest sporting events of 2026, Waymo is an ideal mode of transportation that will help visitors move around the area smoothly and safely.”

Both services will initially be available only to employees before opening up to the public.

 Sept. 9 that Tesla is seeking regulatory approval to open up its ride-hailing service, which 

 in Austin in June, at airports in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose.

Meanwhile, Lyft and Waymo on Wednesday announced a partnership to bring Waymo robotaxis to Nashville in 2026. The companies said in a news release that the service initially would be available via Waymo’s app, “with plans to also dispatch its fleet on Lyft’s network for matched rides later in 2026.”

Amazon-owned robotaxi company Zoox announced on Sept. 10 that it had debuted its ride-hailing service on and near the Las Vegas Strip. Rides are free for now (Zoox plans to start charging later), and are available through the company’s app. Zoox said it plans to add new destinations to the service over time.

Zoox is unique in that it uses purpose-built robotaxis without traditional vehicle controls like a steering wheel.

“The autonomous vehicle industry has made remarkable strides this year, bringing us closer to a future of safer, more accessible mobility,” Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said in a statement. “With the launch of our fully driverless ride-hailing service using a purposefully designed robotaxi, we’re thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking journey.”

A waitlist is now open for Zoox’s forthcoming San Francisco service.

Meanwhile, Lyft this month started deploying 

 robotaxis on its network in Atlanta. “The service will initially launch as a pilot program available to Lyft riders in the area, with plans to expand service hours and vehicle availability in the months ahead,” according to a news release.

“Our launch with Lyft marks a pivotal moment in the AV industry as we work together to bring driverless operations to Atlanta as part of our goal to deploy more AVs onto the platform over the coming years,” May Mobility CEO and founder Edwin Olson said in a statement.

The companies said they plan to “expand the partnership based on community feedback and operational performance, with potential for additional markets and enhanced service offerings.”

A Waymo self-driving car in San Francisco

Waymo to start offering rides at airports in San Francisco and San Jose

And in other recent AV news, Amazon-owned Zoox launched a commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas.

Robert Lee, president of North America for South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution, came to an auto industry conference in Detroit this week to talk about the US EV market.

But first, he addressed the elephant in the room: the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on an under-construction EV battery plant in Georgia that’s jointly owned by LGES and Hyundai Motor Group. The operation led to the arrests of 475 workers, mostly South Korean nationals who the US government claims were in the country illegally or under expired or incorrect visas, and 

The incident has strained relations between the US and South Korea at a time when South Korean companies like LGES are investing heavily in the domestic manufacturing revival the Trump administration claims it supports.

“We feel really bad for all of our workers, as well as our subcontractors who came here to do business and install equipment,” Lee said.

The “one positive thing that’s coming out of this,” he added, is the discussion it has spurred about implementing 

 that South Korean officials view as more workable for those coming to the US to help set up high-tech manufacturing operations.

“We’re very supportive of this and cautiously optimistic that this type of thing will not happen again,” Lee said.

The Trump administration has since made moves to contain the fallout from the raid, CNBC 

 Tuesday, with President Trump posting on social media that skilled foreign workers are “welcome” in the US and a top US diplomat offering reassurances that South Korean workers will be able to return to the US without risking similar incidents.

Meanwhile, South Korean officials have said that they are reviewing the incident to assess whether their citizens were subject to human rights violations after ICE agents used chains and shackles and workers reported being detained in poor conditions, The Washington Post 

Experts have warned that the operation, the largest single-site enforcement action in the Department of Homeland Security’s history, could have a chilling effect on foreign investments in the US.

In his remarks Tuesday, Lee highlighted LGES’ investments in the US, which span seven projects across Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.

“I think this demonstrates that for at least the battery side, we do believe in US manufacturing,” Lee said. “We’ve invested here and we’re really trying to support this resurgence of high-tech manufacturing here in this country.”

Lee pointed to flat growth in the US EV market in the last year following years of massive growth, and said that while “things are not as good as we thought they were going to be five years ago,” he still expects EV sales to grow at a “modest” pace in the years to come.

Instead of being driven by federal policy, Lee said that EVs must win over consumers by being “faster, cheaper, and better” than their internal combustion engine counterparts.

At the same time, battery makers like LGES are working to help automakers 

, which are major contributors to the cost of EVs overall. Lee cited efforts like LGES’ collaboration with General Motors to bring 

“This is really the most critical activity for us right now, to help our OEM partners get to more competitive vehicles which will, I believe, unleash the market,” he said.

Symbols representing electric vehicles and a red baseball hat. 

LGES exec ‘cautiously optimistic’ battery maker won’t face ICE raids again

LG Energy Solution’s Robert Lee said talks around visa reforms for South Korean workers were the “one positive thing” that came out of an immigration raid on a Georgia battery plant.

Demand for energy in the US is trending up and to the right—with implications for everyone with an electric bill.

Growth in demand is coming largely from commercial and industrial users. A 

 between Ford and Atlanta-based energy provider Southern Company recently tested one potential strategy to ease grid constraints from a growing energy consumer: electric commercial fleets.

For six months, a fleet of more than 200 electric trucks Southern owns participated in a managed EV charging pilot program—and the results, according to Ford, demonstrate how this strategy can be used by vehicle fleets across the country to ensure as smooth a transition to EVs as possible.

“What we tried here isn’t unique to Southern or a utility or a fleet,” Ananya Gupta, a group product manager who works in Ford’s commercial division, Ford Pro, told Tech Brew. “We know every fleet operates differently with unique duty cycles, local utility rate structures, site-specific variables, but the lessons and the data from this pilot allow us to tailor-manage charging to each context.”

In fact, he added, Ford Pro is already “applying these learnings with a large national Ford customer.”

Southern’s gas and electric operating companies serve about 9 million customers in seven states, including nearly 600,000 commercial users. The company reported that those commercial users have registered over 100,000 EVs, and its subsidiaries offer time-of-use rates and other programs that help offset charging costs for EV drivers.

With the Ford Pro pilot, Southern set out to gain insights not only for its own EV fleet, but that could be relevant to its own industrial and commercial customers.

The program yielded lessons “that can be applied to help us manage our electric vehicle fleets more efficiently and help us better advise customers who may approach our electric utilities for advice about managing charging for their fleets,” Tom Canada, fleet electrification project manager at Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power, said in a statement.

Ford Pro’s goal was to address barriers to EV adoption and, in the process, aid the grid, according to Gupta. Using its software tools, the automaker employed demand-response and dynamic pricing strategies to optimize depot charging.

Ford Pro conducted demand response tests three times at different times of day and for varying lengths of time. Each test demonstrated “consistent and verifiable load reductions,” Gupta said.

“In one event, the fleet dropped demand by more than half a megawatt of power within minutes, the capacity which could be redeployed elsewhere or could ease just the strain on the grid,” he said. “On the pricing side, our Ford Pro software shifted charging behaviors to lower-cost periods without requiring changes to depot operations. We maintained operational continuity throughout the pilot, showing that dynamic fleet charging can respond to utility signals while protecting business-critical uptime.”

The idea behind strategies like managed charging is to 

 for EVs and the grid by using software to automatically charge when demand and energy prices are lower than during peak demand hours. Stakeholders in the EV sector say that such strategies can transform EVs from energy consumers to 

 Ford Pro is trying to help its fleet customers figure out whether electrification makes sense for them and, if so, to make it a seamless transition.

“This pilot fits into our broader electrification strategy. While this pilot was with Southern, the model is highly replicable,” Gupta said. “The biggest message is that we can help the team lower costs, manage complexity, and make EV adoption seamless. That’s our goal with managed charging.”

What Ford learned about managed EV charging by working with a utility

Ford teamed up with energy provider Southern Company to demonstrate the benefits of managed charging for fleets.

Good news for East Coast EV drivers: You’ve got plenty of public chargers to choose from. As for the rest of the country? Well, there’s still some work to do.

That’s according to the third annual EV Index from mapping and location data company HERE Technologies and automotive research firm SBD Automotive, which ranks all 50 US states and Washington, DC, on their EV infrastructure and uptake maturity.

The headline from this year’s report is that “the US is entering the early stages of widespread electric vehicle deployment,” per a news release. However, although “EV infrastructure and adoption improved across all categories,” researchers found that “growth slowed compared to last year as the country faces expiring tax incentives and heightened consumer expectations for infrastructure.”

The rankings are based on four factors: how far drivers have to travel to find a charger, how quickly they can charge, the number of EVs on the road versus ICE vehicles, and the likelihood of finding an unoccupied charger.

This year’s analysis found that the US 

 37,000 charging points, up 19% from 2024, and increased total charge power by 52%. But growth was slower than in 2024, when the US had a 32% YoY increase in charge point installations and an 82% jump in total charge power.

The findings highlight “a pivotal moment where infrastructure deployment is falling behind rising EV demand,” according to the release. “Delays and inconsistencies in programs like the 

…have led to fragmented access, reinforcing the survey’s finding that the perception of charging availability is the top barrier to adoption.”

For the first time, the report included a survey of 1,000 US drivers. More than half of US respondents said that “the perception of access to charging [was] the top barrier to EV adoption.” They also reported concerns about charging time and battery range, which have been 

“There are a lot of barriers to adoption by people who drive non-electric vehicles,” Robert Fisher, electrification and sustainability principal at SBD, told Tech Brew. “However, once those people do drive an electric vehicle, those barriers begin to disappear quite rapidly.”

Indeed, just 5% of respondents who drive EVs said they wouldn’t drive one again.

But the survey also found resistance among US drivers to try an EV, with some 57% saying they’re likely to buy a gas-powered vehicle next. That compares to just 25% of European respondents. One of the major drivers of this reluctance is price: Nearly one-third of US respondents said they’d choose an EV next if the cost and specs were the same as an ICE vehicle.

The survey also suggested that car dealers could do a better job of educating buyers on EVs; 75% of US respondents said they received “no EV education from the dealer.”

 topped the index, followed by DC, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts. The results suggested “the rise of an East Coast EV corridor,” according to the report.

Kentucky was the most-improved state on the index, jumping from 45th to 28th. The five lowest-ranking states were Nebraska, Minnesota, Arkansas, Idaho, and Alaska.

Only three places on the index had what experts consider an ideal ratio of chargers to EVs: DC, Vermont, and Wyoming.

“As soon as people start to actually experience what an EV is like, those concerns mostly disappear,” Fisher said. “We just have to figure out how to get those consumers into an electric vehicle to actually experience it firsthand.”

‘East Coast EV corridor’ takes shape, according to new EV index

The latest HERE-SBD EV Index shows signs of “widespread electric vehicle deployment” in the US, but plenty of work to do.

The phenomenon of EV buyers rushing to take advantage of a federal tax credit that expires at the end of September has been well-documented 

But changes to transportation policy under President Donald Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill also spell the end of a tax credit that helps offset the costs of installing EV charging equipment.

“There’s a lot of public attention in the market on the expiration of 30D coming up at the end of September,” Josh Cohen, who heads up the policy team at Swtch Energy, told Tech Brew. Swtch provides EV charging solutions to multifamily property owners and commercial real estate developers across the US and Canada.

“But there’s less general awareness about 30C,” he added. “And that is a very impactful incentive.”

The 30D credit offers EV buyers up to $7,500 in incentives on certain new EVs and up to $4,000 for eligible used models.

30C refers to the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit, which was established by the 2005 Energy Policy Act under former President George W. Bush. The program has since been extended numerous times, including in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. Under the Biden administration, new eligibility requirements 

 to the credit. It’s now set to expire on June 30, 2026.

The credit, per the IRS, “is available to businesses and individuals who install qualified refueling or recharging property, including electric vehicle charging equipment, in an eligible location.” Eligibility is limited to census tracts in low-income communities or in non-urban areas.

Individuals can claim the credit for up to 30% of the cost of the property or up to $1,000 per item (for example, per charging port). For businesses and other entities like tax-exempt organizations, the credit can equal 6% of the property cost, up to $100,000 per item.

“With some customers, the customer was already pretty committed to moving forward, and the 30C credit made it more economical and helped it pencil out better,” Cohen said. “With other customers, I think it’s fair to say the 30C credit was critical to their go/no-go decision.”

In Cohen’s view, the rollback of policies supporting electrification won’t stop the EV transition. But he believes moves like this will widen equity gaps in how EV charging infrastructure is deployed across the US, given the program’s focus on installing charging equipment in rural and low-income areas.

“What the near-term impact is going to be, in my view, is that the disparity between more affluent urban communities that have access to charging will grow, compared to less affluent urban communities and rural communities,” he said. He likened EV adoption today to the rollout of broadband access more than two decades ago.

“Broadband became essential to doing business and competing in the economy,” Cohen said. “And it’s not exactly the same thing, but I definitely see a similarity, that electric vehicles and access to EV charging is going to similarly become essential in tomorrow’s economy.”

Meanwhile, Cohen encouraged property owners who are interested in taking advantage of the program to start as soon as possible, because it could take months to go through the engineering, permitting, and utility connection process. Property owners should look into EV charging companies that have experience with the credit, plan for potential future charging needs, and consider the interoperability of the equipment they plan to install, he said.

“To get a charger placed into service, property owners need to be thinking about it now,” Cohen said. “So even if someone purchases a charger today, it may still be a bit tight to make the June 30 deadline for having it placed into service.”

Illustration of an EV charger with the cord in the shape of a graph

What the end of federal tax credits could mean for EV charging

Under federal policy changes, the 30C tax credit to install EV chargers will expire in June 2026.

If so, congrats—you’re ahead of the curve.

Extended range electric vehicles have taken off in China and are gaining interest from domestic automakers, but the technology faces a nagging obstacle: US consumers largely have no idea what they are. If you fall into that camp, we’ve got you covered.

EREVs are not, in fact, electric vehicles with longer ranges. They are essentially a type of hybrid vehicle.

“You’ve got a gasoline engine that is connected to a generator that feeds into a relatively large battery pack,” K.C. Boyce, a VP in Escalent’s automotive and mobility and energy industry practices, explained in an interview. “The battery pack then feeds into an electric traction motor, which provides propulsion for the vehicle. So essentially what that allows for is a longer all-electric range than a typical plug-in hybrid arrangement, along with consistent performance, because it’s always the electric traction motor that is providing drive.”

EREVs aren’t a new concept; models like the Chevy Volt have come and gone. But they’ve never succeeded at gaining much traction in the US.

New research from Escalent on alternative powertrains suggests that, despite would-be buyers’ lack of familiarity with the tech, EREVs could be an opportunity for US drivers and automakers alike—but some changes in terminology might be required.

Escalent’s survey of new-car buyers found that more than 40% don’t know what EREVs are.

“Given the unfamiliarity of most buyers and the confusion that most buyers seem to have with this idea of ‘EREV’ as a name,” Boyce said, “we think that it may be more advantageous to brand the EREV powertrain as ‘PHEV [plug-in hybrid electric vehicle] with no compromise,’ or ‘PHEV plus.’”

Escalent analysts describe EREVs as a best-of-both-worlds solution for certain consumer segments. They allow drivers to tap into existing gas infrastructure, alleviating concerns about having to use public EV charging infrastructure, while delivering the same performance benefits as fully electric vehicles.

Stellantis’s Ram brand has announced plans to launch an EREV truck in the US, which Ward’s Auto 

 would offer 145 miles of battery range plus 545 miles from the range extender.

Analysts at Escalent posit that the tech can serve as a middle ground between internal combustion engine vehicles and battery-electric vehicles for consumers who aren’t quite ready to go fully electric. US consumers continue to be held back from adopting EVs because of price and concerns about 

“I think there is definitely a lot of opportunity for the EREV powertrain in the US market,” Boyce told us. “It addresses a lot of pain points that consumers have historically had about full electric vehicles, while offering a lot of the benefits of full electric vehicles.”

To take advantage of this white space in the market, Escalent analysts say that automakers need to overcome misconceptions consumers have about the technology, market them in a way that avoids confusion, and target the right vehicle and consumer segments.

Escalent’s research suggests that EREVs would fit well in the luxury segment across various model types, including mid-size and large SUVs.

“Automakers that are first movers can win,” Ben Lundin, an insights director in Escalent’s automotive and mobility practice, told Tech Brew, “but obviously it needs to be a great product.”