Home / Business and Economy / Trump-Era Fuel Rules Stall $100M in EV Credit Sales for Rivian
Trump-Era Fuel Rules Stall $100M in EV Credit Sales for Rivian
15 Aug
Summary
- Rivian unable to collect $100M in revenue from fuel economy credit sales
- NHTSA stops issuing compliance letters needed to finalize credit transactions
- EV makers rely on credit sales as significant income source
As of August 15, 2025, Rivian (NASDAQ:RIVN), a leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, has revealed that a Trump-era rollback of U.S. fuel economy rules has prevented the company from collecting around $100 million in revenue. This underscores the growing impact of policy changes on EV makers.
EV companies, including Rivian, generate substantial income by selling credits tied to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. However, these sales have stalled after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stopped issuing the necessary compliance letters to finalize the transactions. The agency says it is focused on "fixing CAFE standards to make cars more affordable again" and will resume issuing the letters once the process is complete.
The Zero Emission Transportation Association, an EV trade group, has filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals seeking to force the NHTSA to resume issuing the compliance letters. Rivian has warned that it does not expect any more credit sales this year, as regulatory credits accounted for 6.5% of its total revenue in the first half of 2025. The company has earned over $400 million from these credits since its 2021 public debut.
