President Donald Trump has done his best to weaken the demand for electric vehicles — but the Iran war could renew Americans’ interest in vehicles that don’t require increasingly expensive gasoline.
Prices at the pump have surged to an average of nearly $3.60 a gallon since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran less than two weeks ago. Those prices could remain high for weeks or even months amid the disruption of crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
At least some car buyers are paying attention. The auto information site Edmunds reported that last week, the number of car shoppers looking on Edmunds for EVs grew to 22.4 percent from 20.7 percent the previous week.
“When it comes to EVs and gasoline prices, we’re in a bit of new territory here,” said Corey Cantor, research director at the Zero Emission Transportation Association, a trade group for the EV supply chain.
