United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order promising to eliminate what he incorrectly labels "the electric vehicle mandate" imposed under former president Joe Biden.

Trump's order last week is consistent with pledges he made on the campaign trail to end what he calls a "preposterous" focus on EVs by Biden and other Democrats.

The order, along with other steps expected during the second Trump administration, could slow US efforts to address climate change, much of which is caused by burning gasoline and diesel fuel that emits carbon dioxide and other planet-warming greenhouse gases.

Trump's order said he would "eliminate the electric vehicle mandate" and promote true consumer choice, which is essential for economic growth and innovation, by removing regulatory barriers to motor vehicle access; by ensuring a level regulatory playing field for consumer choice in vehicles.

While there is no Biden mandate to force the purchase of EVs, the Democratic president's policies were aimed at encouraging Americans to buy them and car companies to shift from gas-powered vehicles to electric cars.

Trump's order, entitled "Unleashing American Energy", revokes a non-binding goal set by Biden that EVs make up half of new cars sold by 2030.

The order also seeks to terminate a federal exemption that allows California to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035.

The federal waiver is important not only to California but also to more than a dozen other states that follow its nation-leading standards on vehicle emissions.

The language of the order and others issued by Trump last week indicate he is likely to seek to repeal a $7,500 tax credit for new EV purchases approved by Congress as part of Biden's landmark 2022 climate law, as well as roll back Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency rules to tighten limits on greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution from passenger and commercial vehicles.

Trump's order last week was reminiscent of actions taken during his first term in the White House, when he rolled back tough vehicle emissions standards set under Democratic then-President Barack Obama.

In the executive order, Trump also put an immediate pause on billions of dollars in funding allocated for EV charging stations appropriated through the climate law, known as the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law approved in 2021.

Biden had set a goal of creating 500,000 such chargers by 2030. As of late last year, there were 214 operational chargers in 12 states that have been funded through federal laws, with 24,800 projects underway across the country, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

A total of more than 203,000 publicly available charging ports are operating across the US. And nearly 1,000 are turned on every week, according to the agency. This is more than double the number available in 2021.

New Jersey Representative Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Trump's attempt to withhold money already appropriated by Congress is illegal.

"While Trump has a long history of stiffing contractors who worked on his failed business ventures, the American government must uphold its commitments," Pallone said.

Freezing money from the infrastructure and climate laws "would cost countless Americans their jobs", he said, calling the funding "a direct investment in American manufacturing and homegrown American energy … that people across the country are counting on".

Though the pace of EV sales growth in the US slowed last year, EVs accounted for 8.1 percent of new vehicle sales, up from 7.9 percent the year before, according to Motorintelligence.com.

The cost of EVs has slowly come down as the auto industry scales manufacturing of the vehicles and expensive battery prices improve, but they still cost more upfront than traditional gasoline-powered cars.

And while automakers will likely welcome efforts to loosen emissions standards, the elimination of federal subsidies could make it harder to sell EVs, which they've spent billions of dollars developing over the past several years.

Even before last week's order, some automakers have pulled back ambitious plans to go electric.

AP