Episode #1297: The EV world is getting hit from all sides — punishing fee proposals, $50 billion in industry write-downs, and a bold $1.25 billion Uber-Rivian robotaxi bet.

A growing wave of state and federal EV fee proposals would charge electric vehicle owners two to three times what the average gas car driver pays in federal fuel tax.

House Transportation Committee Chairman Sam Graves introduced a federal $200 annual EV fee — more than double the ~$95 average gas car driver pays in federal fuel tax each year.
The fee is a flat charge with no connection to actual road usage, meaning a grandmother driving 3,000 miles pays the same as a daily commuter logging 25,000.
36 states already impose EV fees that result in EV owners paying more than gas drivers contribute through fuel taxes, with Texas charging $400 upfront plus $200 annually.

Automakers are unwinding EV bets at a combined cost approaching $50 billion, a stark reminder of how aggressively the industry moved, and how quickly the market shifted beneath them.

Ford leads the charge with roughly $20.9 billion in EV-related write-downs through 2027, including the cancellation of the F-150 Lightning and a pair of three-row electric crossovers.
Stellantis previewed €22 billion in charges — the largest single write-down — covering canceled vehicle programs, EV supply chain restructuring, and the end of a battery joint venture in Canada.
GM and Honda round out the list, with GM topping $7 billion in 2025 EV charges and Honda projecting $1.9 billion by March — including winding down the Prologue and Acura ZDX programs.
As iSeeCars analyst Karl Brauer put it, “There’s just been an overinvestment and, certainly, obviously too aggressive of a timeline”

Uber is betting $1.25 billion on Rivian to power its next robotaxi push, with plans to deploy up to 50,000 autonomous R2s across 25 cities by 2031.

The deal includes an initial $300 million investment and commitments to purchase 10,000 autonomous R2s, with options for 40,000 more starting in 2030.
Rivian's R2 robotaxis will launch exclusively on Uber's platform, starting in San Francisco and Miami in 2028, then expanding across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
The deal follows Rivian's $5.8 billion Volkswagen software partnership and adds to Uber's growing roster of AV deals with Lucid, Zoox, Stellantis, and Nvidia.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi: "That vertical integration, combined with data from their growing consumer vehicle base and experience managing the complexities of commercial fleets, gives us conviction to set these ambitious but achievable targets."

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