L.A. Auto Show highlights new EVs in a shifting environment

As federal rebates end, electric vehicles again take center stage at the annual event.

- HAYLEY SMITH

Thousands of people are expected to converge in downtown L.A. as this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show wraps up on Sunday. The event at the Los Angeles Convention Center is one of the oldest and largest auto exhibitions in the nation and features hundreds of new vehicles and concept cars, including the latest in EVs.

EVs always feature prominently at the L.A. Auto Show, and this year there were again new ones available for purchase in addition to those that carmakers are still planning.

The show has long leaned on California’s reputation as a climate leader to launch the latest in electric technology. This year it comes at an important moment. The Trump administration has ended rebates that lowered the price of EVs, aiding the oil industry. It’s unclear what effect that will have on sales.

Electrifying vehicles is one of the main ways governments, including California’s, address climate change. The state has committed to 100% decarbonization by 2045 and has prioritized the transition away from smogand pollution-forming combustion engines.