Trump Calls Electric Car Owners' Anxiety About Driving Range a 'Disease'

JAKARTA - Electric cars are not yet a suitable choice for everyone. This type of vehicle still has a number of challenges, especially for those who do not have access to adequate charging, drivers in certain areas, to those who often travel long distances while carrying heavy loads.

However, US President Donald Trump actually raised the issue of range anxiety as a material of sarcasm in his speech in Las Vegas. Speaking at the Red Rock Resort, Trump claimed to have ended the mandate of electric vehicles and said that the previous policy could potentially make all Americans drive electric cars in a very short time.

Trump also alluded to drivers' concerns when their electric vehicle batteries are still at 75 percent. According to him, drivers start to panic looking for charging stations in this condition and call them "crazy."

Behind the statement, there are indeed problems that the electric vehicle industry in the United States is still facing. Public charging infrastructure is not yet fully even, especially outside major cities and a number of rural routes that stretch widely in the country.

Launching from Carscoops, Monday, August 10, the experience of using electric cars also depends very much on access to charging at home. Owners who can charge their vehicle batteries every night certainly have a different experience compared to those who are completely dependent on public charging stations.

Likewise, when traveling long distances that require more careful planning than gasoline-powered vehicles. However, calling concerns about mileage as a disease is considered excessive.

Drivers who know the location of the next charging station will certainly take it into account on the way. However, in modern electric cars, the battery condition which is still in the range of three-quarters of the capacity is generally not a reason to panic.

Especially for users who have charging facilities at home, the need to find a charging station every day is not a big problem. The claim that "there is no way" to charge an electric car is also not in line with the current infrastructure conditions.

Based on the charging database owned by the United States Department of Energy, currently there are more than 250,000 public charging ports in various regions. This number does not guarantee a perfect charging network, can always be relied on, or is evenly spread.

However, this condition is clearly different from the assumption that charging facilities are not available at all. In his speech, Trump also mentioned that electric vehicles have dominated about 7 percent of vehicle sales in the United States.

Meanwhile, Kelley Blue Book's latest estimate notes that EV contributions in the second quarter were at 5.8 percent. On the other hand, demand for electric vehicles has slowed after reaching its peak in 2025.

This condition is a challenge for automotive manufacturers and shows a market correction that needs to be considered. However, the slowdown cannot be separated from the Trump administration's policy which ended the federal tax credit of up to 7,500 US dollars for the purchase of electric vehicles. This policy has the potential to affect the attractiveness of EVs in the US market.

Another thing that needs to be clarified is the assumption that the United States previously required electric vehicles to be purchased by 2030. The Joe Biden administration's policy sets a target of 50 percent of new vehicle sales without emissions, while regulations related to emissions and fuel efficiency encourage manufacturers to increase sales of vehicles with low or zero-emission technology.

Meanwhile, Trump's 2025 executive order targets policies, subsidies, and exemptions related to California. The policy is not a rule that directly requires consumers to exchange gasoline-powered vehicles such as the Ford F-150 with electric cars such as the Tesla Model Y.