After federal clean vehicle tax credits ended in September, the electric vehicle industry reached a crossroads. Well, technically, it has been there since Trump took office. This is a weird period in automotive history; A chunk of the industry is full-steam ahead with EV development, another is cutting back, and the consumer is left wondering what the electrification landscape will look like next year, let alone in three, during the next administration.
But what about the automotive aftermarket? Typically, this corner benefits from whatever progress is made on the OEM front—have Trump’s policies expanded or contracted its EV technological development? I recently spent some time chatting with personnel of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) at its yearly tradeshow in Las Vegas to find out. I also hit the bricks (or, rather, bright carpeting) of the massive show itself, seeking out some new, unique developments in the space that behoove EV tech’s inherent benefits.
Above one of the show’s several sprawling halls, I met with Mike Spagnola, SEMA’s CEO, and Karen Bailey-Chapman, senior vice president, public and government affairs, to learn what the organization’s official stance is. First and foremost: It doesn’t want to be told what to do.
Trump-like talking points
“Thirty-three percent of our industry would’ve been wiped out had EV mandates continued,” Bailey-Chapman said, referring to future federal fuel efficiency regulations that would have required automakers to sell many more EVs to avoid punishing fines. Those efficiency targets were just ripped up by the Trump administration.
“The reality is that we embrace EVs, we embrace all technologies. If it moves on wheels, we’re good… but what we are against is that we have to choose this, and that’s it,” she said.
She claimed that over the past couple of years, SEMA has become more political than ever before, advocating heavily for what it finds to be the best way forward for its members. Part of that includes limiting the power of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which was given the power to regulate California’s air quality after decades of smog affected the Los Angeles basin.
