Tesla, Waymo, Slate's Affordable Truck And Beyond: The 10 Biggest EV Stories Of 2025

A year ago, I wrote that 2024 marked the end of "business as usual" for the global car industry and its electric transformation. I can pretty confidently say now that 2025 looked at everything that had happened in the last few years and said, "Hold my beer." 

The United States saw a surge of electric-vehicle sales for most of this year, until policy reversals and an end to the EV tax credits threw a lot of future plans into chaos. China's auto sector charged ahead, but also showed signs of losing a little steam. Europe also reversed course on a bold plan to end internal combustion sales by 2035. And one thing seemed clear above all: the autonomous vehicle is now here to stay. 

On the final Plugged-In Podcast of 2025, my co-host Tim Levin and I attempt to make sense of it all.

It's clear right now that there's a lot of short-term doom and gloom in the EV space. It turns out that even after years of rapid growth, electric cars may not be a permanent up-and-to-the-right thing. That's why we also wanted to give you some reasons to be optimistic. On this episode, we'll also cover some of the great new affordable EVs coming out soon, make some long-term predictions for what's next, and tell you why next year will be an excellent one if you're looking for a phenomenal used EV deal.

Check out the show wherever you listen to podcasts. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and other platforms. And thanks for subscribing if you like what you hear.

We'll see you in 2026!

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

Past Pod Episodes

The Best EVs We Drove In 2025: How We Picked The Winners

Rivian’s New Autonomy Tech Arrives: Is This the Breakthrough It Needs?

Why The BMW iX3 Is Exactly The Kind Of EV We've Been Waiting For

Is The Jeep Recon The Electric Wrangler We Wanted—Or Another Dud?