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Colorado approves goal to make 82% of car sales electric by 2032
Colorado has voted to approve a new standard on the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), with an additional goal set for 2032 and new guidance for increasing EV sales beginning in 2027.
The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission adopted the Colorado Clean Cars standard on Friday, directing manufacturers to make 82 percent of all light-duty vehicles sold electric by 2032, as detailed in a press release. The state will also direct manufacturers to increase zero-emission light-duty vehicle sales starting in 2027, with goals increasing each year during the five-year period.
In the release, Colorado clarifies that it includes battery-electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell electric as what it refers to as zero-emission options. The state has also said that it’s aiming to get one million zero-emission vehicles on its roads by 2030, along with its plan to eliminate greenhouse gas pollution entirely by 2050.
“Colorado is already among the states with the highest concentration of electric vehicles, and we don’t plan on hitting the brakes any time soon,” Commission Director Michael Ogletree said.
“Coloradans want low- and zero-emissions vehicles because they help them get where they’re going while breathing cleaner air and saving money. This standard will make clean vehicles more accessible across the state and improve air quality in local communities overburdened by pollution from busy roadways.”
Notably, the release says that the standard does not prohibit the sale or use of non-electric vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICEs). They also do not apply to used vehicles or those used for things like construction or agriculture.
Instead of prohibiting gas car sales, the state says it hopes to direct consumers toward some of its grants and other programs making EVs easier to access. It lists the following state programs:
- Electric Vehicle Tax Credits, which give Colorado taxpayers up to $5,000 in tax credits for leasing or purchasing a new electric car with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $80,000 or less, and up to $7,500 starting in calendar year 2024 for new electric cars with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $35,000 or less.
- The Vehicle Exchange Colorado Program, which offers rebates to income-qualified Coloradans for recycling and replacing their old or high-emitting vehicles with electric vehicles.
- The Community Accelerated Mobility Program, which provides grants to support community-led electric mobility projects.
The state passed a bill earlier this year that requires a 50-percent drop in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The standard also creates further standards for emissions of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides from traditional passenger vehicles, which the state says creates harmful ozone pollution at the ground level.
While the Colorado standard falls short of requiring 100 percent of new car sales to be electric by 2035, as adopted in California, Maryland and a number of other U.S. states, it does represent the latest development in the state’s efforts to boost low- and zero-emission vehicle sales.
Earlier this year, Colorado voted to approve new EV tax incentives on EVs that offer up to $5,000 off on select purchases, which can be used alongside the federal tax credit. In 2019, Colorado also joined nine other states in adopting standards to accelerate the rollout of EVs in their regions.
Tesla wants the U.S. to enact stricter fuel efficiency standards
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Tesla analyst Andrew Percoco of Morgan Stanley teased the company’s dominance in its self-driving initiative, stating that its lead over competitors is “not even close.”
Percoco recently overtook coverage of Tesla stock from Adam Jonas, who had covered the company at Morgan Stanley for years. Percoco is handling Tesla now that Jonas is covering embodied AI stocks and no longer automotive.
His first move after grabbing coverage was to adjust the price target from $410 to $425, as well as the rating from ‘Overweight’ to ‘Equal Weight.’
Percoco’s new note regarding Tesla highlights the company’s extensive lead in self-driving and autonomy projects, something that it has plenty of competition in, but has established its prowess over the past few years.
He writes:
“It’s not even close. Tesla continues to lead in autonomous driving, even as Nvidia rolls out new technology aimed at helping other automakers build driverless systems.”
Percoco’s main point regarding Tesla’s advantage is the company’s ability to collect large amounts of training data through its massive fleet, as millions of cars are driving throughout the world and gathering millions of miles of vehicle behavior on the road.
This is the main point that Percoco makes regarding Tesla’s lead in the entire autonomy sector: data is King, and Tesla has the most of it.
One big story that has hit the news over the past week is that of NVIDIA and its own self-driving suite, called Alpamayo. NVIDIA launched this open-source AI program last week, but it differs from Tesla’s in a significant fashion, especially from a hardware perspective, as it plans to use a combination of LiDAR, Radar, and Vision (Cameras) to operate.
Percoco said that NVIDIA’s announcement does not impact Morgan Stanley’s long-term opinions on Tesla and its strength or prowess in self-driving.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang commends Tesla’s Elon Musk for early belief
And, for what it’s worth, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang even said some remarkable things about Tesla following the launch of Alpamayo:
“I think the Tesla stack is the most advanced autonomous vehicle stack in the world. I’m fairly certain they were already using end-to-end AI. Whether their AI did reasoning or not is somewhat secondary to that first part.”
Percoco reiterated both the $425 price target and the ‘Equal Weight’ rating on Tesla shares.
Elon Musk
Donald Trump turns to Elon Musk and Starlink amid Iran internet blackout
Donald Trump has stated that he plans to speak with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk about restoring internet access in Iran.
Donald Trump has stated that he plans to speak with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk about restoring internet access in Iran, as authorities in the country implement an internet blackout amid nationwide anti-government protests.
Trump points to Starlink
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump said Musk would be well-suited to help restore connectivity in Iran, citing his experience operating large-scale satellite networks, as noted in a Reuters report. “He’s very good at that kind of thing, he’s got a very good company,” Trump said.
Iran has experienced a near-total internet shutdown for several days, severely limiting the flow of information as protests escalated into broader demonstrations against the country’s rulers.
Starlink has previously been used in Iran during periods of unrest, allowing some users to access the global internet despite government blocks. Neither Musk nor SpaceX immediately commented on Trump’s remarks, but Musk has publicly supported efforts to provide Starlink access to Iranians during earlier periods of unrest.
Renewed Trump–Musk ties
Trump’s comments come amid a thaw in his previously strained relationship with Musk. The two had a public falling-out last year over domestic policy disagreements but have since appeared together publicly, including at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. The renewed ties now intersect with foreign policy, as Starlink has become a strategic tool in regions facing censorship or conflict.
The satellite service has also played a prominent role elsewhere, most notably in Ukraine, highlighting both its potential impact and the political sensitivities surrounding its use. In Iran, Starlink support previously followed coordination between Musk and U.S. officials during protests in 2022.
The current internet blackout in Iran has drawn international attention, with rights groups estimating hundreds of deaths and thousands of arrests since demonstrations intensified late last year. Iranian authorities have not released official casualty figures, and outside verification remains limited due to restricted communications.
News
Tesla China’s domestic sales fell 4.8% in 2025, but it’s not doom and gloom
Despite the full-year dip, Tesla finished the year with record domestic sales in December.
Tesla posted 625,698 retail vehicle sales in China in 2025, marking a 4.8% year-on-year decline as the EV maker navigated an increasingly competitive EV market and a major production transition for its best-selling vehicle.
Despite the full-year dip, Tesla finished the year with record domestic sales in December.
Retail sales slip amid Model Y transition
Tesla’s 2025 retail sales in China were down from 657,102 units in 2024, when the company ranked third in the country’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market with a 6.0% share. In 2025, Tesla’s share slipped to 4.9%, placing it fifth overall, as noted in a CNEV Post report.
Part of the decline seemed tied to operational disruptions early in the year. Tesla implemented a changeover to the new Tesla Model Y in the first quarter of 2025, which required temporary production pauses at Giga Shanghai. That downtime reduced vehicle availability early during the year, weighing on the company’s retail volumes in China and in areas supplied by Giga Shanghai’s exports.
China remained one of Tesla’s largest markets, accounting for 38.24% of its global deliveries of 1.64 million vehicles in 2025. However, the company also saw exports from Giga Shanghai fall to 226,034 units, down nearly 13% year-on-year. It remains to be seen how much of this could be attributed to the Model Y changeover and how much could be attributed to other factors.
Strong December 2025 finish
While the full-year picture showed some contraction, Tesla closed 2025 on a high note. According to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), Tesla China delivered a record 93,843 vehicles domestically in China in December, its highest monthly total ever. That figure was up 13.2% from a year earlier and 28.3% higher than November.
The surge was driven in part by Tesla prioritizing domestic deliveries late in the year, allowing buyers to lock in favorable purchase tax policies. In December alone, Tesla captured 7.0% of China’s NEV market and a notable 12.0% share of the country’s battery-electric segment.
On a wholesale basis, Tesla China sold 851,732 vehicles in 2025, down 7.1% year-on-year. From this number, 97,171 were from December 2025 alone. Tesla Model 3 wholesale figures reached 312,738 units, a year-over-year decrease of 13.12%. The Tesla Model Y’s wholesale figures for 2025 were 538,994 units, down 3.18% year-over-year.
Tesla analyst teases self-driving dominance in new note: ‘It’s not even close’
Donald Trump turns to Elon Musk and Starlink amid Iran internet blackout
