The Trump administration asked Republicans in Congress to stop California’s ban on new gas-powered cars. The Senate parliamentarian said it wasn’t allowed.

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Mr. Musk’s involvement in right-wing politics contributed to a 13% drop in deliveries in the first quarter, including steep declines in E.V.-friendly places like Norway.

© David B. Torch for The New York Times

The executive, Jim Farley, said President Trump’s tariff and auto policies would raise costs and could force the automaker to cut jobs.

About 80 percent of manufacturing investments spurred by a Biden-era climate law have flowed to Republican districts. Efforts to stop federal payments are already causing pain.

Some have halted work on the Biden-era $5 billion program to build E.V. charging stations. Others plan to keep building. Most are confused.

The electric car company run by Elon Musk is facing increasing competition, but investors have focused mostly on the prospects for Tesla’s self-driving technology.

States are using higher registration fees for electric cars to make up for declining fuel taxes, but some are punitive, environmentalists say. A federal tax could be coming.

What makes this dynamic in the new Trump administration so fascinating?

Legal experts said the president was testing the boundaries of executive power with aggressive orders designed to stop the country from transitioning to renewable energy.

Automakers and even some Republicans may fight to preserve funds, and environmental activists will likely sue, but some experts said that some changes may not survive legal challenges.

The president said he’d declare an energy emergency, increase drilling and end support for electric cars. His pivot to oil and gas follows the hottest year in recorded history.

Rules for a $7,500 tax break for electric vehicle purchases and leases recently changed, but more far-reaching changes are expected when President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office.

State regulators said the measures would probably have been rejected by the Trump administration and that they would focus on homegrown legal strategies instead.

More car buyers are expected to eventually pick battery-powered cars and trucks as prices fall and technology improves, even if Biden-era incentives disappear.

The United Automobile Workers union asked a federal labor regulator to conduct an election at a factory Ford jointly owns with a South Korean battery company.

Climate impacts are fueling the cost-of-living crisis, especially for the poor and working class.

The newly elected Speaker said the party would make it a priority to “restore America’s energy dominance.”

The electric-car company led by Elon Musk no longer has the market to itself. Investors are focusing on autonomous driving and other new technologies.

A better industrial policy for the United States involves more risk taking, not less.

Sales of the company’s cars are flagging, but investors are focusing on the potential of autonomous driving and Mr. Musk’s ties to President-elect Donald J. Trump.